


The Ice Rayquaza

by Seclina_Lunica



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Drama, F/M, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seclina_Lunica/pseuds/Seclina_Lunica
Summary: After an incident on Mt. Silver, Team Rocket has been after the G-men. The G-men ask for help and protection from the Champions of every region in the Pokemon League, but will the Champions help, or will they let the G-men fend for themselves?
Relationships: Shirona | Cynthia/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Shirona | Cynthia/Wataru | Lance
Kudos: 27





	1. Incident at Crystal Castle

**Author's Note:**

> This is a totally new story and is not related to my poke past present and future series. It follows a different timeline.  
> Main character designs:  
> Lance: Generations  
> Cynthia: Generations  
> Steven: Anime

Fourteen hooded figures entered a hidden cavern seemingly built into Mt. Silver. The figures were wearing thick, beige winter cloaks with the letter G on the left side of their chests and a signature crest on the back, symbolizing their unity. The cloaks bore hoods that sheltered them from the blistering cold and masked their identities from others. They were the G-men, on a mission, to find a rumored Pokémon that they overheard from Team Aqua’s lips when they had infiltrated their last base a few days ago.

It was pitch black inside the cavern. The leader of the group threw their Pokéball, and a Meganium appeared, ready for its set of orders. “Use flash,” commanded its trainer, and without question, the grass Pokémon accepted its instructions.

No one spoke as the vast crew of G-men strolled through the cavern; instead, they looked at the small bunches of crystals littering the walls and ground, along with colonies of Zubat roosting in the dark corners. As they journeyed deeper into the belly of the cavern, more crystals were seen until the walls were completely covered in beautiful, shiny pink, purple and blue hues. One of the hooded figures tapped on the cave’s smooth walls, and confirmed in their mind that it was definitely crystal.

After the long trek, they eventually came to a door made of ice. Without hesitation, a different G-man at the top of the pack threw a lone rock at the gate, and it bounced off while revealing several ancient seals in the process.

The leader’s deep voice stated, “As we suspected, it’s sealed. It’s a good thing we came prepared.”

A new and shorter hooded figure shimmied their way to the front of the pack and threw three Pokéballs. The balls opened and revealed three Unown; the letters G, M and K. The legendary Pokémon made their small cries before turning to their trainer and waiting for orders. “Unown, break the seal.”

Flying over to the gate, the Unown did a small dance. After a minute or so, the seals on the gate were permanently visible. When their dance was complete, each Unown soared to different parts of the ice gate and used their skinny, alphabet bodies as makeshift keys; unbreaking layers upon layers of seals until eventually, the black markings disappeared, and the gate opened in an eerily manner.

“Let’s go,” said the leader. He and his Meganium started running, and the others followed.

The G-men all ran past the gate. Before long, they found themselves at the foot of a large castle-like building made entirely out of crystal; it was built into the mountain. The colors of the crystal were so vibrant and bright, that the G-men were forced to keep their hoods up. Seconds later, they noticed an enormous crystal door. It was going to take some time to break through. “Meganium, let’s see how strong this door is. Use Razor Leaf.” The Meganium heeded its trainer’s orders, but the effects of the Razor Leaf did not do any excessive damage. “Well, at least there’s no seal on _this_ door.”

The figure with the Unown didn’t bother putting her Pokémon away. Chances are, there would be more surprises to come. The leader then turned to another body beside him and said, “I think it’s time infiltrate in style.”

The hooded figure being confronted nodded before sending out his Pokémon; it was a Dragonite. “Dragonite, break through that door using Iron Tail.” The mean looking Dragonite nodded in return before flying in the air. Its tail then turned a bright metallic color, and with one spin of its body and a foul swoop, the Iron Tail smacked the door with great force, cracking the thick crystal in several places. “Sturdy door. One last time!” The Dragonite responded with its cry before using Iron Tail again, thus creating considerable damage; the hole made was big enough for any human to enter. After, he and his Dragonite were the first to infiltrate the castle; the others not too far behind.

Just like the exterior, the interior of the castle was also formed of beautiful crystals. The inside had the appearance of an old mansion from the 1800’s; it was just missing the furniture. After the band of G-men took a quick look at their surroundings, they retreated to the nearest crystal staircase. In the midst of climbing, they suddenly heard a faint, but confident roar. After hearing that, the leader stopped and turned around to face the other thirteen G-men. He started, “Alright everyone, I think that roar just confirmed that what we’re looking for exists. Now, as G-men, we’re only here to investigate. When we’re done, we’ll have a gathering and figure out what to do about it later, but for now, let’s just complete part A of our mission. Oh – and be prepared to battle if things go wrong.”

The other G-men responded, “Yes, sir,” before resuming their climb. Eventually, they entered a vast room. The area of crystal was mostly bare, except for what greeted them at the other end of the room. On the opposite side was a long, smaller staircase which had maybe four steps maximum. At the top of those stairs was a large opening – approximately fifty feet in height – with a gate built from the roof and embedded into the ground. It looked like a prison cell. There were enormous bars, and even from their distance, something could be seen from between them. Whatever it was, was white and angry.

Cautiously, all fourteen G-men wandered over to the gate.

The leader said, “I believe that might have a seal on it too.”

The G-man with the Unown said, “I don’t think we should unlock this one.”

The leader looked at his inferior and agreed, “I think that’s a wise idea. How about this, I’ll walk up to the cell and take a quick peek inside, and see what’s behind there.”

The other G-men flinched. “What,” said the one with the Dragonite, “you’re only guessing that it has a seal. What if it doesn’t? It can attack you through the bars.”

“Well then,” the leader said with a smile, “I suppose if it does grab me, then you should help me out, right Blackthorn?”

The leader then recalled his Meganium. After saying, “Good job,” he confidently walked over to the gate made of – what looked like – solid gold. He touched the bars, but his hand didn’t bounce off; no seals were suddenly revealed either. Something was trapped in here, but it didn’t make sense. If they sealed the main gate, then how come they wouldn’t seal the very thing that could possibly rip them to shreds? He shouldn’t be standing so close.

Carefully, the leader peeked through the bars, and his eyes widened when he observed Team Aqua’s rumor. He could confirm that those rumors were indeed true. He gasped, then thought, _“They were right. What do we do?”_

“What do you see,” asked another member.

The leader turned and yelled back, “It’s definitely what we’re looking for. It’s…” he then trailed off when he felt a sharp pain run through his abdomen. He looked down and saw an enormous talon running through his body. _“Shit,”_ he thought, _“I let my guard down.”_

“Jerome!” yelled another G-man.

The one called Blackthorn shouted, “Dragonite, Hyper Beam!”

The Dragonite started gathering intense energy, but before it could follow through with the order, the monster’s talon tossed the leader’s body aside. Everyone could hear a sickening crunch as his body hit the left side of the wall. A trail of crimson stained the floor. No doubt the man was dead.

The G-man with the Unown shouted, “What the fuck!”

Then, another giant roar ensued. “There’s definitely no seal on that thing,” someone said.

Everyone then reached for their Pokéballs.

“So, it’s true,” said a different G-man, “It’s the Rayquaza made of…”

They were cut off when hundreds of large ice shards were hurled between and against the solid bars. The targets were the G-men, who were frozen in place. They couldn’t escape anywhere. In seconds, the ice shards pierced the ground, roof, walls, and the bodies of every G-man and Pokémon in the room. All of the humans had been hit, but only five were lethal.

The G-man with the Unown looked around and observed the aftermath. Everyone was moaning, and there were some unmoving. She went to the ones who were limp and saw that dozens of ice shards had entered their legs and stomach region. She then went back to her original place and saw Blackthorn grabbing his arm. “Are you hurt, Blackthorn?”

“Yes, Fay. A little one got stuck in my arm.” The one called Fay looked at the man’s arm and saw the stuck piece of ice. His Dragonite had scratches, but surprisingly was unharmed for a dragon-type. “How about you?”

Fay responded, “I got a couple of small ones in my arm too, but I can’t feel it.”

Blackthorn recalled his Dragonite. “Just our luck. It can use its scales as projectiles.”

When the G-men who survived rose to their feet, they witnessed the enormous, white Rayquaza approach the golden bars. It gave a deafening roar before it peered through its confines with glowing eyes.

Someone shouted, “Everyone, don’t look into its eyes!” 

All, but four G-men adhered to the statement, and looked away from the Pokémon’s gaze. Unfortunately, the four who didn’t manage to look away in time were caught under the Pokémon’s spell. Their eyes turned red, and they spoke in a weird tongue. When the Pokémon’s eyes stopped glowing, the persons affected turned to their comrades and swiftly grabbed their Tantō hidden under their cloaks in an almost robotic-like state. They then attacked their fellow G-men in ruthless swipes.

Some managed to avoid their attacks, grab their own Tantō and fight back, whilst others were too late in moving and were stabbed to death. This was madness, and now a desperate fight for survival.

“What the hell is going on?” Fay said while blocking his possessed comrade’s attacks. Eventually, Blackthorn came to his aid, and stabbed his fellow G-man in the back. He hated this.

Minutes passed and the color red was splayed everywhere. When the storm had calmed and only five G-men were left standing, the Pokémon roared again before gathering energy for – what looked like – an Ice Beam attack. “RUN,” someone screamed, “LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!”

Without thinking twice, the remaining G-men ran out of the room, just managing to avoid the Ice Beam attack used seconds later. The G-men, with their eyes still shrouded by darkness, heard one last roar before exiting the crystal castle and leaving the main gate.

* * *

The G-men stopped running, so they could catch their breath. They were now back in the dark cavern, breathless and shell-shocked. They had just seen and killed their friends and colleagues. How could they let a thought like that sink into their reality?

After a minute or two of retaining oxygen, the G-men – with their hoods removed – tended to their wounds. All of them still had ice shards in their arms and legs, and they needed to be removed and treated before nerve damage would occur.

Eventually, one of the G-men shouted, “What the fuck was that?!”

A short, female G-man with long purple hair, and rounded eyes replied, “It was the monster Pokémon that Team Aqua had mentioned. The Ice Rayquaza.” She retrieved her three tired and lingering Unown.

A different G-man, male with wild red hair and dragonesque eyes, of whom was called Blackthorn responded to her statement, “Fay, how do you think Team Aqua knows of this? They said it was just a tall tail.”

She responded, “There must’ve been an inside job. It’s likely that someone else discovered this place before us.”

A G-man with short, shaggy brown hair and golden-brown eyes exclaimed, “What the fuck guys? There were fourteen of us and now there are only four of us left! Over half of the G-men in the organization are gone!”

Fay responded, trying to reassure the young man who’d only been a G-man for less than a year, “Relax Milos, our comrades did not die in vain, and what happened back there was a nothing more than a freakshow. We know that this is the Ice Rayquaza, and that it has a lust for killing. Obviously, it’s partly sealed away and whoever did it has full knowledge at what this Pokémon is fully capable of.”

Milos shook. There were tears in his eyes. He asked, “So, why didn’t the cell have a seal on it like the main gate?”

Blackthorn stated while pulling the last ice shard from his upper arm, “I think it’s one of those things where whoever put it behind those bars in the first place took that answer to their grave.”

“Then, what do we do with it?”

Blackthorn said, “If it weren’t so aggressive, I could capture it and train it; however, as just witnessed, this Pokémon is too unstable. If I capture it, the minute I take it out of its Pokéball, it will surely kill me. We’d either have to send it to another dimension, or destroy it, and I’d rather not do the latter.”

“That’s right,” said another male voice. It was a black-haired man with deep black eyes, whom also had ice shards running down his entire left leg. “Mr. Goody-two-shoes Lance doesn’t want to be messy. Let me capture it and I’ll do the dirty work for him!”

“No, Thrasher,” Blackthorn replied, “A Pokémon is still a Pokémon, no matter how dangerous it is. If I had it my way, I would make sure this place is sealed and hidden from head to toe.”

Milos said, “Should we go back and seal it now?”

Fay said, “No, we’re not going back in there. I can’t bear to see the people I’ve killed and watched die. Besides, our main mission was to investigate the area and see if Team Aqua’s silly rumors were true. We’ve done both. We successfully completed our mission.”

“Pfft,” Thrasher scoffed, “but we still wound up paying the price with our lives.”

Blackthorn said, “I think it’s better if we seal up the main gate with our own seals and hide this from the world. We shouldn’t get involved in this any further unless we know someone is going after it.”

Milos said, “B-but look what it did…”

Blackthorn lowered his body to the ground, and aided Milos in pulling the ice shard from his forearm. He said, “There are only five more G-men back at headquarters. We’ll have a meeting with them as soon as we arrive. My guess is that we’ll sit on this until someone like Team Aqua decides to search for this thing.”

“So, we’ll just keep an eye on them?”

“For now.”

Fay stood up. She said, “Alright, we should all go home and take a short leave. We’re going to need it after seeing what just happened to our friends.”

Everyone nodded in approval. Blackthorn concluded, “Fay, use your Unown to seal the main gate and barrier the cavern entrance. You’ll also need to put some sort of spell or mirage on the entrance, so that no one, but us can find it.” He then turned to everyone else. “No one is allowed to speak of this. You can put it in your reports, but word of this will not leave our offices and go public. Seriously, if this Pokémon is loose, we will surely perish and another Pokémon war could ensue.” 

_Chapter 2 is next…_


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just getting to know the main characters, and establishing their relationships before madness ensues.

_One month later…_

“Pity,” said Cynthia as she stared out of her bedroom window, “another miserable night. Why won’t the rain stop? It’ll be quite a mess tomorrow if this keeps up.” Dressed in a pink housecoat and a towel of the same color wrapped around her head, Cynthia finally turned away from the window with her half empty teacup. She looked inside, and pondered whether or not she could bother making another cup.

She was waiting for her fiancé to join her in the bedroom; he was taking too long. Presently, she was in _‘the mood’_ and getting rather itchy, for she’d rather engage in their sexual activities now before it got too late. They had a busy day tomorrow, so they couldn’t afford to stay up too late.

After ten minutes of standing around, Cynthia had enough and decided to retrieve her man from the living room. When she left him over two hours ago, he was hard at work on the violin; now, he was still practicing, but with an audience and at an ungodly hour. She wanted to grab him and drag him up the stairs; she wanted to tell him that they were going to have sex **now** while she was craving it, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

At the foot of the staircase, she observed a wild-red haired man making music with his instrument. He had sheet music in front of him on a stand, but he wasn’t looking at it. She then scanned him from head to toe, and noticed that he was still wearing his Johto attire, along with his iconic black cape.

Yes, her man, Lance Blackthorn and the Champion of the Indigo League was in her home. They had dated for six years before Lance finally found the courage to propose, and she accepted without fail. Now two years had passed since, and they were still engaged, but hell, they were young and had plenty of time; besides, they were still trying to figure things out. Juggling the business of their Champion lives while trying to live under the same roof was no easy feat.

For the longest time, Lance and Cynthia’s relationship was complicated. It was on and off. For the first three years, they hid their romantic relationship from the public eye, mostly due to political reasons. They feared that if the regions turned against each other, that a conflict of interest would undeniably transpire. The two Champions denied that they would put their personal relationship over their regions, but they wouldn’t know for sure until a crisis occurred. Cynthia didn’t mind keeping their relationship a secret, but Lance did. As time went on, she noticed him getting more uncomfortable. Whenever someone would suspect something, Cynthia would immediately end the relationship until the suspicions and rumors died down. It was an endless cycle, and every time they broke up and made up, Lance felt like he was starting over rather than getting anywhere. Eventually, Lance approached her about it. They talked, and it was at that point where Cynthia discovered that she was dating the most sensitive man in the world.

He treated his fans great, but to the other Champions, he came off as an asshole, because he never reacted to anything anyone said or did; however, that wasn’t true at home. He was a different person. Cynthia liked to compare Lance to a burnt marshmallow. A little rough and put together on the outside, but a sweet gooey mess on the inside. He had a soft personality, a beautiful smile that showed teeth, and a weird sense of humor that could kill any unwanted tension in the room. That’s not to say that he didn’t care about people. He cared about the innocent, and hated to see anyone get hurt. But it was hard to convince somebody of his true character, because he wanted to perceive himself as the stoic individual who didn’t care about other people’s thoughts.

When they finally agreed that they both endured enough secrecy for one lifetime, they publicized their relationship without the help of the media, for they didn’t want their words to be bent and flipped inside out. Unfortunately, they accepted the harsh reality that they would be walking on eggshells for the rest of their lives, but if being careful meant sitting together, holding hands and sneaking kisses anywhere they pleased, it would be worth the risk.

As stated previously, Lance had an audience, and they consisted of his Pokémon. Cynthia looked at the couch and saw three adorable Dratini, his signature Dragonite, and his new Gible (that Cynthia gave to him on his 28th birthday) watch their trainer play his violin with sheer intensity. His Pokémon looked like music elitists that were ready to give the musician harsh criticism after his undeniably perfect performance. The looks on their faces amused her. Actually, just watching Lance play the violin was amusing in itself.

Aside from being a dragon master, she noticed that the man had other talents. She discovered his violin playing pretty fast when they first starting dating. Not too long after she found out about his little ‘secret,’ he informed her that he played for the Johto Orchestra during the National Coordinating Championships only. Of course, busy being a Champion and G-man, he didn’t have much time for music, but at least that musical talent was going somewhere useful instead of collecting dust on a shelf. In addition, his Pokémon loved hearing him play; it made them happier, friendlier and easier to train.

When Lance had finally finished his slow and then insanely quick piece, his dragon Pokémon all smiled and applauded in their own special way.

“Ah – I see you all enjoyed that,” Lance started.

The three Dratini were all wiggling happily on the couch; the often intimidating Dragonite was currently smiling and politely applauding; and the Gible was bouncing around and wanting to hear more. Lance responded to the Gible playfully, “You want an encore? Are you serious? Well, I’ll have to think about that. It’s getting late.” He then looked at the nearest clock and saw the time. He turned back to the Gible and said, “I’m sorry Gible, but I think my arm is done for the night. I’ll get carpal tunnel if I’m not careful.”

After hearing that, all of his Pokémon stopped their cheering, and lowered their heads. They were disappointed that their trainer was refusing to give them an encore. Lance pouted. They knew how to pull his strings, and it was all his doing. “Oh – come on, guys. Can’t you give your trainer a break every now and then? Fine, I’ll do an encore.” Taking his bow, he quickly performed a C scale and then called it a night; not surprisingly, his Pokémon were satisfied at his smart ass move. Lance then laughed at his Pokémon’s reactions.

Cynthia had to hold back a laugh of her own. If someone had heard Lance laugh like that out in public, they would **demand** to take his temperature. “Alright everyone, the concert is over for tonight.” While his Pokémon were still happy, Lance quickly grabbed his Pokéballs off of his belt and retrieved them.

When all of the Pokémon were recalled, Cynthia came up from behind and said, “That’s was beautiful, Lance. Maybe I should give you an even bigger audience next time.”

Lance turned around. He was surprised to hear that his fiancé was still awake. “Oh – thank you, Cynthia, but if you and your Pokémon plan on attending the next at home concert, then I’m afraid you’re all going to have to pay. A musician can’t be broke forever. He has to eat eventually.”

As Lance put away his instrument, Cynthia went directly to his music stand. She grabbed the sheet music and took a long glance at the complicated notation. She couldn’t read sheet music, but it didn’t stop her from seeing what her fiancé was frying his brain with. “Don’t tell me you have all of this impossible stuff memorized?”

Lance laughed, “Not all of it, Cynthia. And it’s not impossible.”

“Tell me again,” she said, “why are you doing this? You are Champion of the Indigo League. You belong in the stands, cheering on the coordinators of your region. You shouldn’t be hiding in a little room with an orchestra all day. You can do whatever the hell you want, like say ‘no.’ Seriously Lance, you should enjoy yourself every once and a while.”

Lance shook his head. He said, amused, “Cynthia, I’ve partaken in the orchestra for the National Coordinating Championships since I was eighteen. My life would be pretty boring if all I did was battle and fight crime. I need to have some sort of hobby, and I can’t allow all of my music training go to waste. And yes, you are right. I am Champion, and I should be cheering on the trainers from my regions, so that’s why I limited myself to two solos and one orchestral piece this year.”

Cynthia looked away. “Interesting.”

Lance continued, “Hey, you know that I only do this once a year. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to play for very long anyways. My arm still hurts.”

Cynthia then said with great concern, “Your arm still hurts? That Sneasel must’ve really done a number on you.” Then, she touched his arm, and he flinched. “It’s been a month now since you came home with that injury. We should get a doctor to look at it again.” She then berated him, “You know, you wouldn’t be in this situation if you had been paying more attention to your surroundings during that G-man mission.”

Lance replied in monotone, “Thanks for your concern.”

“Hmm…”

“What?!”

“Well, I hope you at least keep me company tomorrow. There are a lot of promising coordinators out there. I’ve seen the stats and the tapes. I know what’s been cooking in Kanto and Johto.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, I know you’ve been scouting. It’s not like it’s a big secret.”

Lance raised two brows. “Oh, so you know that I’m putting together a conjoined Kanto and Johto coordinating team?”

“Yes,” Cynthia sleekly smiled, “you’re making a stacked team for the team events next season. I know what you’re up to, and I’m going to do everything in my power to take you down. Just because you are in charge of two regions doesn’t mean that you can take down Sinnoh’s talent so easily.”

Lance smiled. “Whatever you say, Cynthia. Oh – and to answer your question, yes, I’ll be joining you when I’m done my three pieces. Watching coordinator battles is rather refreshing. Sometimes you need a break from the regular stuff. I find its less intense and a lot more fun.”

“Less intense?” Cynthia smirked, “Coordinating season is like a soap opera. You’re proving that by making a stacked team.”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. He chuckled hesitantly, “I guess it’s just one big drama. I’ll call you via Pokégear when I’m finished, okay?”

Cynthia nodded. “Yes, sir.” She then sized him up and snatched the collar of his black cape. “Don’t tell me you’re going to be wearing that cape while performing tomorrow. Your bow is going to catch on it, and you’ll crush some coordinator’s dreams, because you messed up their music choice due to inappropriate dress.”

Lance chuckled deep within his throat. He acted cocky on purpose, “Cynthia, I don’t make mistakes, just happy accidents. Besides, if I mess up (which never happens) I can call it improvisation and jazz, and everyone will just shrug it off.” He then folded his arms across his chest. With a serious tone, he said, “Cynthia, remember that I’m not the star in all of this. It’s _my_ job to make the coordinators look like superstars since the music will be live and not a recording. It’ll then be the coordinator’s job to sync with the orchestra to make their performance that much more spectacular. Obviously, the coordinators chose their music, so the synching shouldn’t a problem for them if they’ve practiced. They’re competing in nationals; the music should be second nature. Now, I’ll be joining you in ten minutes, okay?”

Cynthia responded by grabbing both sides of Lance’s face and pulling him in for a deep kiss. After, she removed herself and said, “I want to see you in that cape tonight.”

Lance raised a brow. “But I’m already wearing it.”

“I want to see you in that cape…only.”

Immediately, Lance understood what she was saying, and it went straight to his groin. He answered by providing her with a passionate kiss of his own.

* * *

**POKEMON COORDINATOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS  
TOP SIXTY-FOUR  
SINNOH NATIONAL STADIUM  
SYNCHRO LIGHT WEIGHT**

It was the biggest event of the year for Pokémon coordinators; it was nationals. It was a time for the trainers to prove that they were the best not only in their region, but also the world. The competition was four days long, with each day hosting three events that started in the early morning and ended late into the evening. Hundreds of coordinators – who all had to pass regionals and national qualifications first – participated, and thousands of fans attended; after all, aside from the Pokémon World Tournament, it was one of the most anticipated competitions in the Pokémon League.

If you were a winner, you received a lot more than just a championship title. You earned money – sometimes more than a seasoned trainer – and sponsorships for next season. You were also given a year’s worth of Pokémon essentials at Pokémart, and a guaranteed spot at nationals the following year to defend your title. Even if you didn’t win, you still got something out of it; a ton of experience, and possibly a scout looking to put together a team or be your coach and mentor.

Coordinators from all over the place competed in categories that consisted not only of the popular flashy battles, but also synchronized individual performances, synchronized team performances and grooming. There was more, but it was all in the program. Although these categories were special in their own way, the whole competition had a theme, and each year it was the same; vintage. The costumes, programs and music all had to tie into the 1800’s timeline. On top of it all, the music that the coordinators picked had to be classical and the sheet music had to be provided. Yes, the music was live, which can be quite a challenge for some coordinators. If their Pokémon messed up, or decided not to complete a task, it would destroy the sync with the orchestra and the performance would flop, but to be fair, whether or not the trainer could recover during their routine would be taken into account in the judging process.

Currently, the individual synchro category for light weight Pokémon was in session. So far, the music had been fantastic and the Pokémon coordinators did not disappoint in putting on a show. From the top of the stadium, Champion Cynthia was leaning over the railing with an ice cream cone in hand. At this point in the competition, the Togetic with the sunglasses and red cape was her favourite.

When she finished the ice cream and moved on to the cone itself, she heard a familiar voice approach her. She looked over and saw Steven Stone, free of his travelling gear and in his usual Hoenn getup; it was a refreshing sight to see. It looked like he had just returned from his last journey, and it was a relief to see that he was alive and well. Steven was her best friend for as long as she could remember. Although Hoenn and Sinnoh were quite far away from each other, they found a way to spend as much time with one another as possible. They also liked to research/collect, so sometimes, they would go on adventures together, along with some other people. To be honest, it was more fun and safer to go discover things with friends than alone. Also, she hadn’t been on a journey with him for over a year, which kind of made her sad. She was so busy between being Champion, fulfilling her duties as Champion, and being with Lance, that she didn’t really stop to think and have some time for herself. Steven – on the other hand – had Wallace to take care of things in the midst of his absences. Maybe when it got less busy, she would join Steven on his next adventure and disappear for a solid two months.

“Oh – Steven,” Cynthia said after embracing her friend, “you’re back. How did the researching and collecting go? Was your travel back to Hoenn uneventful?”

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. He said sheepishly, “Yes, I would’ve been gone much longer, but my father needed some help with the business. But once that business is taken care of, I plan on traveling again.”

Cynthia said, a little disappointed, “I see…you’re abandoning me again. Well, we should catch up before you go back on the road.”

Steven laughed. He loved her humor, and loved it when she made him smile. “We should. Besides, I can’t wait for the day when we can go on another adventure together.”

Cynthia looked away. “That would be nice, but right now, I have other duties to tend to. I’m sure one day we’ll do something…as friends of course.”

Steven gulped. That’s right, she was going to marry Lance soon. Maybe he should back away, and tell her that going on an adventure with him was a bad idea. Yes, Steven liked her – no, he didn’t like her, he loved her, and for a very long time. He felt that way ever since they were teenagers, but Lance, who was easy on the eyes and had balls of steel, snatched her away first. He already had beef with Lance and that was one reason why. He’d do anything to have Cynthia be his forever, but he had to respect her decision for what made her happy; and if Lance is what made her happy, he should do the right thing and push her away before he’d give in to temptation.

“So,” Steven changed the subject, “I see that you have your ice cream as per usual? Can I sneak in a taste? The cone is the best part.”

Cynthia made a bitter face as she pulled her ice cream cone close to her chest. She barked, “No way! Get your own.”

Steven laughed again. “Be careful. If you hoard all of the ice cream, Hoenn will have to invade and get some for themselves.”

“War over ice cream?” She took a great big bite.

“Sue me.” He then looked around. “So, is your fiancé joining you today? Is he hiding somewhere? Or did he ditch you?”

Cynthia replied, “No, he’s here. He’s performing right now. We’ll be sitting together when he’s done.”

“Performing?” This was news. “Don’t tell me that he suddenly decided to show off and be a coordinator too!”

Cynthia laughed, “No, you silly Furret. He’s performing in the orchestra. He told me that he has two solos and an orchestral piece. He won’t be long though. His arm has been bugging him lately.”

“Wow, so he’s a man of many talents. When did this happen?”

“Well, if you’ve paid any attention to him, you’d know that he’s been in the orchestra at this competition for ten years. Like he said to me yesterday, he’d live a pretty boring life if all he did was Champion shit and G-man missions. He needed a hobby.”

“What does he play?”

“Violin. He’s a professional, and his Pokémon love it.”

Steven grumbled. She caught him. She knew that Steven didn’t like Lance. The two men had some problems when Steven first became Champion, and he never seemed to have gotten over that hurdle. There was one time when Lance showed his softer side, but it didn’t stop him being a Johto jerk later. Like stated before, Lance and Cynthia’s relationship was complicated. He didn’t know all of the details, but he knew that before they were engaged, they broke up and made up often, which wasn’t the healthiest way to go about things. Steven knew that he could treat her better than that. Sometimes he looked at her and thought she was delusional. Sure, Lance’s looks played a big part, but he just couldn’t get past Lance’s ‘I don’t care about what you think’ personality and smug expressions. Leaning over the railing, Steven didn’t mince words, “Cynthia, to be honest, I don’t know what you see in that guy? He’s an asshole.”

Cynthia said, “Steven, I think if you actually sat down with Lance, and had a conversation, you’d discover that’s he’s not the bad guy you make him out to be. Its been five years. Maybe you should get over your personal problems and get to know him. Lance got over his beef with you long ago.”

Stubborn as a mule, Steven replied, “I’m sorry, but what happened between us cannot be forgiven.”

“Oh – give me a break, Steven,” Cynthia said, “It was an exchange of words. Its not like he sent all of Kanto and Johto after you. Yes, he accused you alone of attacking Johto and made your life a living hell for a year, but he eventually cooled down, moved on with his life and asked for forgiveness.”

“He did?”

“Yes, he did a couple of times. I was there. But he gave up, because your pig-headedness got the better of you. Sometimes, you act like a spoiled brat. It annoys me.”

Steven was taken aback. He loved Cynthia, but at least he knew now where he stood in her life. He tried defending himself, “Cynthia, he accused me of something I had no control over. I wasn’t Champion when Hoenn attacked Johto.”

“But Lance was, and he blamed himself for not seeing the signs sooner. He had a reason to be angry at Hoenn, but he didn’t have to make it personal and attack your character. Steven, you’re a happy-go-lucky man who has a knack for making people smile, and I think Lance eventually saw that in you, and then pushed all of his bullshit aside. And as far as I am concerned, I think you should do the same. Lance and I are going to get married soon, meaning that if we want to stay friends, he’s going to be in your life and you’re going to have to get along. Maybe you should try talking to him at the very least. He needs another friend. He doesn’t have that many.”

“I wonder why.” 

“Steven…”

He then looked away. “I respect him as a trainer and a Champion, but I still think he’s an asshole, and you deserve better. Sometimes I look at him and tell myself that he doesn’t have a heart.”

Cynthia had to smile after that remark. “Steven, if you took the time to talk to him, you’d come to realize that he’s a very delicate guy.”

“Him? Delicate? Bah – I don’t believe you.”

Cynthia then turned away. She was hurt.

Steven sighed. He hated it when she did this to him. “I’m sorry, Cynthia. I’ll do it. I’ll try getting along with him.”

Then, Cynthia said, melancholy, “…He’s been acting strange lately.”

Steven’s ears perked. “Lance acting strange? How?”

“Ever since he got back from his last G-man mission, I noticed that every time he goes into the freezer to grab some ice, he has a staring contest with the ice tray; he does it at least four times a day. Sometimes, I even catch him staring at wall...I…sorry, I’m not making any sense. I just worry about him too much.”

Steven, being the ever so optimistic friend, said, “Cynthia, he probably worries about you too when you go on one of your last-minute researching journeys that last around three months. Didn’t he once have to hunt you down to make sure you were alive, because you didn’t notify him of your sudden departure?”

“Yeah, I…” she was interrupted by the ringing of her Pokégear. She answered, “Hello? Okay, I’ll be there. You sounded great.” After hanging up, Cynthia said, “I have to go to the orchestral room now and get Lance. You should come watch the competition with us. Lance knows where the good seats are.”

Steven answered, “I think I’ll pass, but thanks for the invite.” In truth, he really didn’t want to see Lance. He just wanted to be with Cynthia, and have an outing to themselves for the rest of the day.

Cynthia grumbled, “Fine, but think harder about what I said. You should get over your personal feelings, because its more of a hindrance than a gain, and I know for a fact that you are a better man than that.”

* * *

Two days after the Championship, Lance went back to Johto in a hurry, and Cynthia hated it. Trying to live together as one unit was a real pain. During the week, Lance would live in Johto, so that he could fulfill his Champion obligations and fight crime. On the weekend, he would fly back to Sinnoh and spend quality time with his fiancé, unless G-men issues called for his action. Unfortunately, this was the way they had to live until they married and found a home borderline to their regions.

Before leaving, Lance informed his fiancé that he had to take a quick trip to G-men headquarters on his way back to Johto. He said that there was some stuff he had to pick up from his office before heading over to the Indigo Plateau, so it would take him a little bit longer than usual to get home. In return, she kissed him goodbye and told him to fly safe.

Presently, Champions Cynthia, Steven and Leon were south of Sinnoh attending a barbeque. It was a fundraiser if you wanted to be exact. Steven and Cynthia didn’t think they’d be having any fun at the social event, but with Leon there to liven the mood and engage in the physical activities himself, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.

It was eight at night when they left the barbeque, but before returning north, and then parting ways, they decided to stop for a bite to eat. Despite it being late, they needed a little bit of time to wind down, and luckily, they found a comfortable place that was willing to keep the kitchen open.

There was only one other person in the same restaurant; it was a man in a black uniform, and he was at the bar side reading the local newspaper, and trying to enjoy a cup of coffee. Eventually, with Leon being his usual bright and overdramatic self, the stranger at the bar must’ve had enough and decided to leave no longer than twenty minutes after they got there. Leon said as the man left, “I don’t think he likes loud noises.”

Steven watched the man leave the restaurant. After the man’s departure, Steven had turned back to his friends, but noticed something peculiar along the way. Lying on the bar side table was a large red envelope. The man had forgotten it.

He then excused himself from the table and went to retrieve the envelope. He was going to be the hero of the day, and give the man back the forgotten item, but when he noticed the all too familiar insignia on the backside of the envelope, he decided against it. Steven thought as he inspected the exterior, _“This is Team Rocket’s emblem. I wonder what’s in here?”_

Anything coming from Team Rocket meant that it was fair game, so Steven took the opportunity and opened the envelope. He pulled out its contents and looked at it carefully.

Inside, was a large stack of papers that were held together by a massive paperclip. He noticed on the first piece of paper, that the page consisted of a single person’s photo, along with their personal information beside and underneath it. He then fanned through the rest of the pages to see if the layout was consistent with the first. In the middle of his little investigation, he gasped and almost dropped the whole stack when he realized who these people were.

“What the hell is this?”

_Chapter 3 is next…_


	3. The List

“What the hell is this?” Steven questioned.

Wasting no time, the Hoenn Champion scurried back over to his friends with the red envelope and papers in hand; he hoped that the man who had forgotten his stuff wouldn’t be coming back. He looked at the papers again, and his stomach tightened. Whatever this was didn’t look good.

Cynthia and Leon removed their gaze from their food and focused their attention onto Steven, who was returning with stuff that wasn’t his. They also noticed Steven’s uneasy expression, and grew a little anxious. After taking notice, Leon smiled and said, “Ah – Steven, what treasures have you stolen and brought to us today?” He hoped his statement would break the tension.

But Steven did not answer; his uneasy expression remained intact. He really did look upset at what he was looking at in his hands.

Leon, now being serious, said, “Steven, what’s wrong?”

Steven handed Cynthia and Leon the stack of papers. Like Steven’s observations, each page was dedicated to a single person. A good quarter of the page carried the person’s photo and the rest was filled to the brim with personal information, along with chicken scratched notes. It was odd though. On some pages, there were words and photos crossed out, while other pages had the word MISSING stamped all over it; and then there were some pages with nothing done to it at all. The Champions then quickly read through the basics of each page:

**Name: Thrasher Stevenson (MISSING)  
ID: 00023153  
Age: 30  
Gender: Male  
Height: 5’2”  
Weight: 140 lbs.  
Eye Color: Black  
Hair: Black  
Years Active: 3  
Region: Sinnoh  
Status: Active (MISSING)**

**~~Name: Daunna Tuloth  
ID: 00039513  
Age: 22  
Gender: Female  
Height: 5’6”  
Weight: 130lbs  
Eye Color: Green  
Hair: Black  
Region: Galar  
Years Active: 6  
Status: Active~~ **

**~~Name: Davis Draiken  
ID: 00083942  
Age: 32  
Gender: Male  
Height: 6’1”  
Weight: 180lbs  
Eye Color: Blue  
Hair: Blonde  
Region: Hoenn  
Years Active: 12~~  
 ~~Status: Active~~ **

**Name: Patty Fay  
ID: 00039274  
Age: 27  
Gender: Female  
Height: 5’4”  
Weight: 130lbs  
Eye Color: Brown  
Hair: Purple  
Region: Unova  
Years Active: 7  
Status: Active**

**Name: Lance Blackthorn  
ID: 00049279  
Age: 28  
Gender: Male  
Height: 5’6”  
Weight: 140lbs  
Eye Color: Grey  
Hair: Red  
Region: Johto/Kanto  
Years Active: 10  
Status: Active**

**Name: Milos Thorndrak (MISSING)  
ID: 00037582  
Age: 20  
Gender: Male  
Height: 5’8”  
Weight: 140lbs  
Eye Color: Gold  
Hair: Brown  
Region: Kanto  
Years Active: 1  
Status: Active (MISSING)**

**~~Name: Kristina Justice  
ID: 00079394  
Age: 23  
Gender: Female  
Height: 5’2”  
Weight: 120lbs  
Eye Color: Hazel  
Hair: Green  
Region: Johto  
Years Active: 3~~  
 ~~Status: Active~~ **

**~~Name: Maya Geister  
ID: 00063749  
Age: 41  
Gender: Female  
Height: 5’11”  
Weight: 140lbs  
Eye Color: Blue  
Hair: Brown  
Region: Kanto  
Years Active: 20~~  
 ~~Status: Active~~ **

**Name: Freida Forlorn (MISSING)  
ID: 00082933  
Age: 39  
Gender: Male  
Height: 6’2”  
Weight: 150lbs  
Eye Color: Brown  
Hair: Blue  
Region: Kalos  
Years Active: 15  
Status: Active (MISSING)**

**~~Name: Horus Klumberg  
ID: 00017482  
Age: 25  
Gender: Male  
Height: 6’2”  
Weight: 180lbs  
Eye Color: Blue  
Hair: Brown  
Region: Alola  
Years active: 4~~  
 ~~Status: Active~~ **

Cynthia and Leon then flipped back to the beginning. They needed to soak in the information before they would look at it again, but slower and in more detail. Cynthia asked, “Where did you find this?”

Steven answered, “It was left over on that counter. It belonged to that man…”

Upon viewing the pages again, Leon immediately recognized a name and face. “Cynthia!”

Cynthia said, “What is it?”

Leon had connected the dots, while Steven connected them long ago. The Hoenn Champion just wanted to see if the Galar Champion had any other insight as to what all of this meant. Leon said, “These look like members of the G-men.”

“What,” Cynthia gasped, “how can you be sure?”

Leon pointed at the photo on the first page. “I know it’s hard to see, because these are just headshots, but if you look closely, you can see that they’re all wearing their uniforms. I’ve seen the G-men in the Galar region before, so I would know. I can see them coming from a mile away.”

Steven said with his arms crossed and in monotone, “You make it sound like they’re after you. Are they?”

Then, Leon’s expression turned grim. He said, “Also…” he then flipped through the pages and came to a face that was eerily familiar. It was Cynthia’s fiancé.

“LANCE!” Cynthia exclaimed, “I – I don’t get it. What’s he doing on there?”

Steven chimed, “Listen, this looks like highly confidential information. I have a feeling that this envelope was left here on purpose for another person who will probably be here in the next few minutes if we don’t leave.”

Looking closer at the names and photos herself, Cynthia asked, “Why are some names and photos crossed out? And why do others having MISSING stamped all over it?”

Steven shook his head. “I’m not sure myself, but I can guarantee that what we’re looking at right now is not good. If you look at the insignia on the back of this envelope, you can see that it belongs to Team Rocket.” He then showed them the red envelope, and they confirmed how serious this was.

For the next two minutes, the Champions were trying to solve the puzzle as to why certain pages were littered with black marker and red stamps, while others had nothing at all; but it seemed that the longer they looked at the pages, the more their thoughts turned to the worst of possible outcomes.

Leon piped up, “I hate to say it, but it looks like some sort of hit list? It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what Team Rocket cooked up here.”

Steven shifted his focus onto Cynthia after hearing that blunt statement. She was deathly white and shaking. Without falter, Steven placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile and statement, “Don’t worry, Cynthia. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I think we should go to Johto and show Lance. Once he sees his name, he’ll probably know what’s going on.”

_DING A LING A LING!_

Steven gathered the papers after hearing the restaurant door opening. He had a hunch that whoever walked in wasn’t here for a late-night snack. After placing the stack of papers back inside the envelope, he hid it underneath the table, and between his legs. All three Champions shifted their eyes to the side to steal a quick glance as the strangers. They were Team Rocket members that obviously looked like they were up to no good. One of the members had short, purple hair that was styled quite odd, and the other obtained short, sharp green hair that looked like it could stab someone’s eyes out. After looking around the restaurant, the one with the green hair said:

“It’s not here! So, where the fuck is it?”

“I – I don’t understand.” The one with the purple hair said, “He said that he dropped it off on the bar side…”

“Dammit,” the green haired man interjected, “I’m finding that I can trust no one now. Shit…either he lied to us, or someone took it. That information is valuable to us; after all, I need to know who’s still alive and who’s dead.”

Cynthia felt like throwing up. Did the crossed-out names and photos mean that the person was dead? Leon was right. It **must** be a hit list. The three Champions all looked away, pretending as if they were minding their own business.

“Whatever,” the green haired man continued, “we know who our current target is and where he is. The Indigo Plateau is only a day away from this very town, and according to our spy, the man should be in his office by the time we get there. Don’t do anything brash if you arrive there before me. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

Surprisingly, the two Team Rocket scum did not see the Champions as they left the restaurant. When the chime finished ringing after they left, Cynthia went into an instant panic. “Oh my Arceus, they’re going after Lance!”

Leon intervened by grabbing her arm. He said gently, “Slow down young lady. Do not worry. We know where Team Rocket is heading. We’ll follow them, and then kick their asses before they can even lay a finger on Lance. I can guarantee you that.”

Cynthia grabbed her Pokégear. She attempted to call her fiancé several times, but he wasn’t answering; he could be sleeping. She’ll try again in the morning.

“What if something happened to him already? Those names with MISSING on them…were they runaways or were they captured?”

Instead of answering Cynthia’s loud thoughts, Steven said, “Come on, let’s go. Team Rocket should be on the road by now. There’s no time to waste.”

Cynthia clenched both her teeth and fists. She was seething. “I’ll kill them if they touch him.”

Leon raised a fist in the air and said, “That’s the spirit!”

* * *

_The next day…_

The three Champions arrived at Indigo Plateau on their Charizard, Skarmory, and Togekiss. They were positive that they had beaten Team Rocket at their own game, but after taking a long look at the front entrance, it was apparent that Team Rocket was already there, for their black trucks were in idle and vacant. When Cynthia saw this, she wanted to fall out of the sky, but Steven – always the friend that could lighten her spirits – walked over to her, and said that everything was going to be alright. She wanted to snap at him and say ‘promise me,’ but she knew that wouldn’t get them anywhere.

“Come on, Cynthia. We’re going to kick some Team Rocket ass. We have my Metagross, Leon’s beefed up Charizard and your insane Garchomp that practically eats anything. Together, we’ll defeat these guys and Lance will be safe, alright? Besides, Lance is Champion of two regions for a reason, so there’s no way he shouldn’t be holding his own by the time we get there.”

Leon added, “Hey – for all we know, Lance could have already beaten Team Rocket to a pulp. We won’t know unless we go inside.”

After recalling their Pokémon, the Champions wasted no time and entered the building. It was eerily vacant inside; but mind you, it was five o’clock in the evening, and thus the day had drawn to a close, so it should be to no surprise that people had been turned away and gone home.

Unlike Leon and Steven, Cynthia knew where Lance’s office was. It was on the north side of the building, meaning that it was a long trek. They ran and hoped at the same time that Team Rocket was just looking for Lance and hadn’t found him in his office yet; but after hearing that there was a spy involved, no doubt they would find him with little complications.

Seeing the anger and killing intent in Cynthia’s eyes, Steven assured her again, “His Dragonite are probably breaking every bone in their bodies right now.”

Cynthia muttered between harsh breathing. “They better be.” She then thought, _“Lance, please don’t do anything stupid. Just do your best to stall until we get there.”_

* * *

In his vast office, Lance – always calm – succeeded in searching through the last drawer of his filing cabinet. He was shredding the last stack of documents that he had stashed away. When he finished, he opened the shredder’s compartment and removed the torn paper. With little time to waste, Lance opened his office window, and tossed the shredded mess outside, letting the wind carry it to Arceus knows where. He then put the paper shredder back together before turning back to his desk.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The receptionist at the front desk had just phoned his office, and informed him that Team Rocket had infiltrated the Indigo Plateau. After hearing that, he knew that they were coming after him, and why. It had nothing to do with him being a Champion; it had everything to do with being a G-man. Taking a long look outside his window, he contemplated whether or not he should bother sending out Dragonite, and kill them all.

He then heard several heavy footsteps, and without a courteous knock, his door was kicked open. Ten team rocket grunts, and their green-haired leader entered the large room. They were all ready with their Pokéballs. They knew this man wasn’t going to go with them without a fight, so they’d best be prepared.

With his usual stoic expression, Lance turned to his unwanted visitors. He said, “So I see that you’ve come after me now of all times.”

Before, engaging in any battles, Team Rocket’s leader stepped forwards. Lance wasn’t surprised when he observed the familiar green haired man standing twenty feet in front of him. The last time they met, he had caused him the most trouble. Their encounter unfortunately got messy, but Lance came out victorious. Now in this position, Lance reminisced and told himself that he should’ve been less merciful. Proton had a history of getting stronger the more times they battled, and after five years, Lance wouldn’t be surprised he revealed a new trick.

Proton said with a smug grin, “Ah – Champion Lance! It’s good to see you again. The last time we met was in Unova when you sabotaged operation Haxorus. What a pain.”

Lance took a quick glance at his kicked in door. He responded, “You’re not much of a decent man yourself, Proton.”

Proton chuckled.

Lance’s dragonesque eyes bore deep into his enemy’s soul. He stated, “I never thought we’d cross paths again. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

“You’re too merciful,” Proton replied whilst shaking his head, “but I’m afraid that it’s too late now.”

Lance closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re probably right.” Then, there was a brief pause before he continued, “Proton, are you here to kill me or take me hostage? I’m sure you didn’t come here to have a cup of tea and catch up.”

Proton didn’t answer Lance; instead, he said as he snapped his fingers, “Search his office!”

The Champion moved aside as he allowed the grunts to rip his office apart. They violently opened the filing cabinets, cupboards, stray boxes, and desk drawers; tossing and dumping on the ground whatever was irrelevant to their cause. Lance knew what they were looking for, but he dealt with it already.

Proton finally said, “We’re here to retrieve some valuable information. I have a feeling that you know what it is I’m talking about.”

Lance thought for a moment. After some quick contemplation on what he should say and do, he responded, “Yes, I know exactly what you’re searching for.”

Proton smiled again, “Is that so?”

Lance smiled in return, “You aren’t going to get it.” Then, his smile turned sour and his already raging eyes lit aflame. “To be truthful, you aren’t going to get it at all.”

Then, three bodies burst into the room, with a couple of them yelling Lance’s name. They were all holding Pokéballs of their own.

Intrigued, he looked over to see who his next set of unwanted visitors were…and they were unwanted indeed. Lance said in his mind, _“Cynthia…Leon…Steven…where did you all come from? Why’re you all here?”_

Proton said, amused, “Well, now we have four Champions in the room.”

Lance wanted to berate his fellow Champions, and demand answers, but he could only focus on one thing at a time, and that was Team Rocket, who were on a mission that – only he knew – would fail. It’s too bad he had to do this in front of his fiancé and two others who he considered somewhat friends. Oh well – he’d have to ignore them.

Upon seeing the grunts decimate Lance’s office, Cynthia shouted, “Lance, are you alright?!”

Leon exclaimed, “We’re here for you, man!”

With his usual stoic expression, Lance tried to diffuse the tense situation, “Cynthia. Steven. Leon. Stay where you are.”

“What,” Cynthia said, “you’ve got to be kidding me!”

Lance then pulled the authority card. “You’re in Indigo Plateau. My domain, my rules. Stay your hand.”

Cynthia whined, “But Lance…”

Saying fuck-it, Cynthia was ready to throw her Pokéball and kick some Team Rocket ass with her Garchomp, but before she could release her Pokéball from her grasp, both of her arms were grabbed and pinned behind her back. “Fucking grunts! Let me go you pigs!”

Unfortunately, Leon listened to Lance, and not long after, his hands were also tightly bound; he couldn’t escape even if he tried. “Hey, watch the cape!” Then, before Team Rocket could even think about coming after Steven, the Hoenn Champion hid the red envelope behind a decorative plant. After successfully hiding it, the grunts were on him like Pidgey after birdseed.

Lance took a deep breath before turning back to Proton. He said, “Sorry about the interruption.”

Proton chuckled. “It’s alright. You were saying something about me not getting what I want?”

Lance resumed their conversation as if nothing had occurred, “What you want will be impossible to achieve. Search my office all you like. You’re never going to find it.”

A separate grunt went to Proton. He saluted before saying, “Sir, there’s nothing in here.” The rest of the grunts then returned to their leader’s side.

Proton frowned. “Hmm…now I understand. You destroyed everything, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Sitting on the sidelines, the Champions were confused. What on earth were they talking about? Was this conversation related to the Pokémon League at all? Cynthia shouted, “What’s going on, Lance?” But her statement fell on deaf ears. “Lance, please. Do you need help?”

Lance thought for a moment. Maybe he should ask Proton to send Cynthia and company out of the room. It would probably be for the best if they didn’t watch this.

Proton sneered, “Hmph. Although you destroyed the physical information, you didn’t destroy it in its entirety. You memorized it all. You were there! As I suspected, we’re going to have to take you prisoner, go back to our base, and interrogate you with our Alakazam…”

Lance just stared at the man. “And?”

Proton said, ready with his Pokéball, “…but I know you’re not going to make this easy for me.” Then, he threw his Pokéball; it opened and revealed an Alolan Ninetails.

Lance sized up the Pokémon as it made its usual cry. _“Hmm…as I expected, he came prepared.”_ After, the Champion said, “I’m sorry, but I refuse to battle.”

Proton was taken aback, along with everyone else in the room. This wasn’t right. Lance never turned down a battle. “Huh? But why?”

Lance said calm, yet stern, “It’s a fairy type. I’m clearly at a disadvantage. Sure, my Dragonite are more than capable of destroying your puny little fox, but it’s a gamble. If I receive one clean hit from your fairy type, my Dragonite are done for. Don’t you see, Proton? I already know the outcome, so there’s no point in fighting. I’d rather not waste time, nor my Pokémon’s energy just to boost your ego.”

Steven questioned out loud, “Why isn’t he battling? Does he want Team Rocket to take him prisoner? It’s not like him to not go down without a fight.”

Cynthia begged, “Lance, please battle them. Where’s your fighting spirit?”

Leon, the calmest one out of the bunch, thought, _“Lance…what’re you thinking?”_

Proton placed his hands on his hips. In return, he said, “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that the Champion of the Indigo League refuses to battle.”

Lance then said, “Proton, answer this question.”

“Hmm?”

“Is Director Maya Giester dead?”

“…why do you ask?”

Lance answered, “I received a phone call yesterday that she was found dead in her office. She was killed. I’m guessing that you searched her for the information and found nothing?”

Proton paused. Then, with a horrible stare, he said, “Yes, but her reports were destroyed too. Besides, she wasn’t there, so there was no need to keep her alive. It’s too late for you too.”

Lance growled, “Hey, me refusing to battle you isn’t stopping you from attacking me.”

Cynthia interjected, “Lance, stop goading them!”

It was Steven’s turn, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Lance? Fight back!”

“Fine,” said Proton. He then aimed a finger at Lance and shouted, “Knock him out, using Extrasensory. We’re taking him prisoner.”

The Alolan Ninetails did as it was told. It began gathering its psychic energy.

“LANCE!”

Lance continued to block out the peanut gallery beside him. He said while focusing on Proton alone, “I admire your keenness, but I’m afraid taking me prisoner will be impossible as well.” He then reached under his cape, and grabbed a hold of something that everyone could barely see from their distance.

Proton raised a brow. “What’re you doing?”

With furrowed brows and a cool demeanor, Lance stated, “Say and do as you please. I’ll never let your grimy little hands possess any of the information, whether it’s in my mind or not.”

“What?!”

“I know the outcome. I’m stuck. I know that I’m not going to win. You’ll take me away, and then I’ll be tortured. Then, when you get what you want, I’ll become a liability and then you’ll kill me. I know how it works. It’s not the first time I’ve met a criminal.”

Cynthia struggled again. She said, “Lance, please! What’s happening? What’re you doing? Just fight them!”

Lance smiled. He would show Team Rocket who had the last laugh. “You see Proton, psychic Pokémon might be able to retrieve information from the human mind when they are awake or asleep, but they can’t retrieve information from the human mind when they are dead!”

Cynthia’s eyes widened. “No, don’t tell me…”

Just then, Leon knew exactly what was happening. He yelled, “LANCE, STOP!”

After hearing Leon’s desperate cry, Proton caught on. He ordered his Pokémon, “Ninetails, stop him quick with Dazzling Gleam!”

Swiftly, Lance pulled out a small vial from under his cape; a deep purple liquid was resting inside. In one smooth and quick motion, Lance popped off the vial’s cap with his thumb and proceeded to pour the colored liquid down his throat.

Cynthia screamed at the top of her lungs, **“NO!”**

“Abort the attack, Ninetails!”

Lance dropped the vial. Everyone in the room watched in utter shock as Lance’s body tensed. With a shocked and sickly expression, Lance lightly swayed from side to side before he finally closed his eyes and collapsed behind his desk.

“Damn it!” Proton yelled.

Cynthia screamed and kicked; she needed to free herself from Team Rocket’s grasp. She needed them to let her go, so that she could shred them into a million pieces and give her Garchomp the feast of the century.

Proton ran over to Lance. He looked down at the immobile man and saw that the Champion was splayed on the ground like a broken doll with his eyes closed and mouth agape. The Team Rocket leader then lowered himself to the ground and grasped Lance’s wrist; the Champion’s body was cold and there was no pulse. “Fucking G-men,” Proton spat, “There goes our only viable source. There’s one more that’s not considered missing, but she’s going to be a pain to find.”

Proton then looked at his grunts. He ordered, “Alright men, let’s get out of here. We have failed our mission.”

A grunt said, “Sir! What about these three?”

Proton looked at the three Champions, and said, “I have no need for Pokémon League Champions. This is a G-man matter only; they know _nothing_.”

Finally, the grunts released Cynthia, Steven and Leon. Angry beyond compare, Cynthia tried to throw her Pokéball again, but this time, Steven got a firm hold of her wrist.

Cynthia exclaimed, “Steven, what the fuck? Let me go!”

“No.”

She pleaded, “I’m not allowing him to go anywhere! He’s going to die! I’m going to kill him!”

Just then, Leon was going to send out his Charizard, but Steven quickly caught him, “No, Leon.”

“What?”

“There’ll be plenty of time to avenge him, but now is not it.”

Proton stopped in front of the Champions. He said with a smug grin, “Were you threatening to hurt me, Champions? Especially you, Champion Cynthia? Because now would be a good time to get rid of me. And what’s this nonsense about avenging him? Hell, what would you be avenging him for anyways? He killed himself. I didn’t do it for him.”

Cynthia growled. If Steven wasn’t holding her back, she would have snapped the man’s neck by now.

Proton then turned to Steven, “Champion Steven, you are much too merciful. Champion Lance did the same thing a long time ago, and look where it got him.”

Steven flinched.

Cynthia screamed, “FUCK YOU!”

The Team Rocket leader then turned to face the exit. He bid his adieu while glancing over his shoulder, “I have no further business here.”

Steven let go of Cynthia as soon as Team Rocket left. She was about to go run after Proton, but Leon was quick to wrap his arms around her torso and drag her back inside the office. Leon said, “Come on, Cynthia.”

Cynthia turned to face her best friend, and exclaimed, “Steven, why did you let Team Rocket leave? You are so much worse than Lance when it comes to stupidity!”

Steven was about to explain his logic, but Cynthia pushed him away and managed to escape from Leon’s arms. She ran straight to Lance’s aid. “Lance!” She yelled as she scurried behind his desk. She gasped when she witnessed her limp fiancé. She dropped to the ground, and just like Proton, she grabbed his hand and searched for a pulse; nothing. “Lance,” she yelled again while shaking him, “Lance, please answer me! Oh – please, this can’t be happening right now! It’s all just a joke!”

Steven joined Cynthia next. He looked at the scene with sad eyes. The Champion of the Indigo League was gone, along with her fiancé. Poor Cynthia. All he could do was be the strong one and comfort her.

Leon was next. He scanned Lance’s body from head to toe, and discovered the empty vial beside the dead man’s feet. He picked it up and smelt it. He immediately jerked away; it smelt awful. “Venom,” was all Leon said.

Walls of water wouldn’t stop running down Cynthia’s cheeks. This was surreal. She was hoping Lance was just pretending, and would wake up, and then she could punch him. She then screamed, “Lance, why did you do it!?”

Steven commented, “Typical G-men.” It sounded more hostile than it should have, because after that statement, Cynthia was quick to turn to him and snarl.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Lance took part in an honorable profession where he protected all Pokémon from criminals. How dare you make such a statement!” She then went back to weeping.

Steven explained himself although he was unsure if Cynthia was listening, “Listen, it was obvious that Lance knew something we didn’t. The G-men are separate from the Pokémon League. The league itself has no jurisdiction over them, and doesn’t really care what they do. Whatever goes on in their profession does not link to ours. Unfortunately, as you already know, the G-men profession is a dangerous one, and it is protocol that all G-men who are about to be taken hostage and interrogated for classified information, are to end their lives, so that the information will die along with them.”

“But why? What was so important?” Cynthia cried.

Leon chimed, “He must’ve been carrying information that could have severe repercussions if placed in the wrong hands; information that could affect the world. That’s my only guess.”

Cynthia then proceeded to cradle her fiancé. She kept his head close to her chest as she burst into hysterical tears. As she wept, Leon kneeled next to her and said, “Cynthia, I am so sorry for your loss. Although knowing him for so little, I’m positive that he would’ve been a great husband and made you very happy.”

Steven said nothing; instead, he looked back at Lance. That’s when things started to sink in. The Champion of the Indigo League was gone. He didn’t even have anyone lined up to replace him. This was a real pickle. He then turned to Cynthia, and just like Leon, he needed to give her some comfort, maybe more. This was his chance…

Cynthia hiccupped, “We were supposed to finally get married in the spring. We were going to go to the Orange Islands for our honeymoon, and battle together for life until we dropped dead in the arena. He was going to move to Sinnoh for good, where we were going to have lots of kids and we could raise the next generation of dragon trainers. We had our whole future planned out and he had to go ruin it all…”

Then, a familiar hand snatched Cynthia’s forearm, and pulled downwards. She then heard a massive intake of breath. Cynthia, along with everyone else looked down and noticed that Lance was moving. In seconds, Cynthia could feel the man’s body become warmer. He was alive.

“LANCE!”

Steven sat there, shocked, _“He’s alive? But how? That was straight venom! Leon confidently confirmed that.”_

Cynthia quickly cupped her hand around Lance’s cheek as his body searched for air. Currently, he had none in his lungs, for his body hadn’t taken a single breath in minutes. Cynthia wasn’t sure if he could hear her, but she said anyways, “Babe, it’s Cynthia. Slow down your breathing. You’re okay now.”

As expected, Lance didn’t answer her. He continued to hyperventilate.

She tried again, “Lance, can you hear me? Just take nice and easy breaths. I’m right here.”

With the help of Leon, they eventually managed to get Lance’s breathing back to normal. Then, slowly, Lance peeled open his eyes and gawked at the three Champions hovering over him. “Why are you guys still here? Did you manage to kill Team Rocket already?”

“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!” Cynthia shrieked. She desperately wanted to smack her fiancé, but found it sufficient to tear him a new asshole instead. “DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO DOWN IN A BALL OF FLAMES, THEN FIGHT BACK! MAYBE LET US GET INVOLVED WHILE YOU’RE AT IT! ARCEUS, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO DO SOMETHING STUPID! I HATE YOU!”

Lance wasn’t surprised at her outburst. Weakly, he nodded and then smiled. “I’m sorry.”

Cynthia clenched her teeth. “Don’t ‘I’m sorry’ me. You’re a fucking idiot! When we got here, we were expecting you to be battling. We were ready to help your sorry ass, but you **had** to go and ruin our heroic moment!”

Lance furrowed his brows. He said, “Why are you guys here anyways? Weren’t you in Sinnoh participating in some fundraiser?”

They all ignored him. Leon said, “I don’t get it. You drank pure venom. How on earth did you survive that?”

Lance attempted to sit up. He couldn’t talk while lying down. Knowing what Lance’s intentions were, Cynthia helped her fiancé up while supporting his back. Lance explained to the group, “It’s venom, but its been tampered with. Its potency was reduced considerably and replaced with a paralyze and freeze effect to simulate death. The freezing made me cold and stopped my blood flow, and the paralysis kept my body from moving and in time was what eventually started my heart again. I’m sorry. I wish I could have done something different, but this was the only way. Ugggh, but despite the venom being doctored, venom is still venom and I am one hundred percent poisoned.” He then turned grey and felt sick to his stomach. “Ugggggh, Cynthia…”

Realizing what Lance wanted, Cynthia forced him onto his hands and knees, and stuck her fingers down his throat to induce vomiting. It wasn’t like they hadn’t done this before when Lance fell into a cloud of poison powder three years ago. When he finished spewing out purple liquid and lunch, he fell forwards into her chest. Who knew that simulating death could be so exhausting? “You fool,” Cynthia whispered into her fiancé’s ear.

“I think you guys better get me to a hospital now.” He then frowned. It was his turn to bite somebody’s ass. “And don’t think I won’t be asking questions about you three later. You still haven’t answered me as to why you’re here.”

_Chapter 4 is next..._


	4. Asking for Help

_Inside Viridian City hospital…_

It was morning, and the doctor had notified Cynthia that her fiancé would be discharged from the hospital at noon. There wasn’t much to do, so she decided to pass the time by reading a sappy romance novel – that she picked up at the nearest convenience store – to Lance.

As if it weren’t obvious, Lance was going to be fine. After Lance’s suicidal move, he was sent to the hospital, had the remainder of the poison pumped out of his stomach, and was given some medication to get rid of the nausea that would occur later; the hospital also kept him overnight for monitoring. In the morning, Lance had woken up early, and immediately, Cynthia had noticed that his skin was back to its normal color. In addition, he was warm to the touch and completely aware of his surroundings. Soon, they would be able to go home, and that was a great relief.

After reading the next page out loud, Cynthia peered over the top of the book and noticed that Lance was staring at the ceiling with his hands neatly folded over his stomach. She couldn’t tell if he was engaged in the story, or if he was just bored. Cynthia pictured the latter.

She then said, playfully, “What’s with that face, babe? Is the romantic scandal of Edward and Primrose boring you to death?”

Shifting his eyes towards his fiancé, Lance said, “After listening to what you’ve just read to me, I would have preferred death. I can’t believe there are people like that out in the world.”

Cynthia snapped the paperback closed, and set it aside. In her chair, she then leaned over the bed and started running her fingers through Lance’s messy hair. “I should have bought a comb at the store. Your hair is going to be impossible to brush later.” She then kissed him on the lips and said, “I’m still angry at you, you know?”

Lance nodded. “I know…but it had to be done.” He then kissed her again. “I’m sorry.”

Cynthia continued to play with the tips of his hair. “I know.”

“So,” Lance said, “are you going to tell me why you three came to the Indigo Plateau in such a hurry? I know you’ll keep evading the question, but I’m not going to let it go. Just like you, I’m not happy either.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” said Cynthia. Right after, the door opened, and Leon and Steven walked in. Lance rapidly noticed that Steven had something large in his hands.

Leon said, “Ah – look who’s awake!”

In a flash, Lance quickly transformed into his usual stoic persona. He gave a curt nod. “Leon. Steven.”

Leon placed a hand against his chest, and said dramatically, “You are one brave man, my fellow Champion. In **no way** would I have had the gusts to slug down Delta Shinx Venom without question. Balls of steel my friend.”

Lance gave a small smile. The Galar Champion could be amusing at times. “Thank you, Leon. I guess now that I’m feeling better and everyone is here, can I finally get an answer as to why you all showed up so heroically at the Indigo Plateau? Weren’t you supposed to be at a fundraiser?”

Steven explained, “We did go to the fundraiser. It ended late, so we decided to get something to eat before going our separate ways. A man had left this envelope,” he then displayed the red envelope to Lance, “in the restaurant. I swiped it and took a look at it, and then saw the Team Rocket Insignia on it. Immediately, my gut told me that this was bad news.”

“And?”

Steven then reached for the contents inside. He pulled out the stack of papers and plopped them into Lance’s hands. “Read it over and tell me what you think this is.”

Lance then took five minutes, and flipped through every single sheet of paper. After observing what they read back in the restaurant, Lance said, “What do you think this is?”

Leon answered, “We figured it was a hit list.”

Cynthia continued, “After we read this, some Team Rocket members came into the restaurant we were in looking for that envelope. We took it and then eavesdropped on their conversation. After a minute or so, we finally realized that they were coming after you. That’s why we rushed over to the Indigo Plateau. We were going to give you a warning that Team Rocket was on their way. You weren’t answering your Pokégear, so we had no choice but to go to you in person.”

Lance didn’t react much. He then said, “You’re right. It’s a hit list. It makes sense.”

The three champions lightly gasped. Steven said, “How does it make sense?”

Lance thought for a moment. He then looked directly into Steven’s eyes and said, “I don’t think I should be telling you guys any of this. After seeing this list and witnessing my altercation with Team Rocket in my office, I’m afraid you already know too much…”

Steven internally screamed, and wanted to wring Lance’s neck. Why was he like this?!

Lance said, “…I’ll tell you more…however, you _must_ promise me that none of what I’m about to say will leave this room.”

All three Champions looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

Lance then tried to explain what he could without giving them the information that Team Rocket was looking for, “This is a list of the remaining G-men known to the organization. There should be more names, but I’m afraid the others perished on Mt. Silver one month ago.”

The Champions gasped again. Cynthia said, “An…incident?”

“Yes,” Lance said, “There were four surviving members; in which I was included in that number. The ones who weren’t involved were still stationed at headquarters. We are all that’s left, and that’s who’s all on this list. Looking at it closer, I noticed that those who survived at Mt. Silver are now missing or present, and those who weren’t are dead.”

Steven needed confirmation, “So you know that all of those people crossed out on that list are dead?”

Lance nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. Horus and Kristina were killed two weeks ago, and Director Maya Geister was killed two days ago. Their deaths have all been confirmed.” Then he looked at the list again, and said with sad eyes that only Cynthia managed to catch, “However, I had no idea that Davis and Daunna were gone too. It must’ve been recent, because I talked to them last week.”

Cynthia then reached for Lance’s arm. She rubbed it gently as he silently mourned. “I’m _so_ sorry, Lance.”

After a moment or two of quiet, Lance continued, “Moving onto the ones who are declared missing…I know that they are missing. They’ve gone into hiding, so that Team Rocket wouldn’t come after them. Most of them disappeared as soon as Horus and Kristina were killed.”

Leon said, “So you’re saying that the ones who were on Mt. Silver do not have their names and photos crossed out?”

Lance confirmed, “Yes, except for Freida. He decided to go missing around the same time Thrasher did, so he must’ve had an idea of what was going on.” He then flipped through the pages again before jogging them back together. He turned to Cynthia and said, “Remember when I told you that I had to go to my office at G-men headquarters to pick up some items?”

“Yes.”

“During the final day of the Coordinating Championships, I received a phone call that the Director of the G-men had been killed. After that news, I knew exactly what was happening. So, when I finally got to my office at headquarters, I grabbed all of my reports about the incident, along with some other stuff, and destroyed it in my office at the Indigo Plateau just before Team Rocket arrived. Wow…I can’t believe there are only five of us left.”

Cynthia frowned. She tried consoling him again with a touch, but he didn’t react.

After soaking in the information, Leon asked, “I know I’m going to be the first to ask the million-dollar question, but can you tell us what happened on Mt. Silver?”

Lance looked at the list one last time before setting it aside. “I’m sorry, but I’ve told everyone everything I could. All I can say is that there is a spy who ratted us out, and that’s why Team Rocket is coming after the remaining G-men; and this list just proves that there is an inside person providing them with our classified information. Who knows what else they’ve got?”

Steven clenched his fists. Lance was already getting into juicy details, so why stop now? Plus, he needed to know what was so important as for Lance to risk his own life and jeopardize Cynthia’s happiness. He asked a tad aggressive, “Was that information Team Rocket wanted worth your life?”

Lance gave the man an unamused glare. Finally, he said, “Yes, I’m afraid it was.”

“Was it to protect the Pokémon League or the government?”

Lance said, “It was to protect the world. The information I bear has the potential to start a war.”

Seeing the logic in things, Leon said, “Well, if it affects our regions, then shouldn’t we have a right to know?”

Cynthia said, “I think that’s a fair question.”

Sizing up the rest of the Champions, Lance said, “I will tell you everything I know on one condition.”

They waited.

“I’ll tell you everything if you agree to help me. And when I mean ‘me’ I mean on behalf the G-men. I shouldn’t be the one making decisions, but since the director is dead and I’m one of the only G-men still on the map, I’m afraid I have no choice.”

Steven raised a brow. He crossed his arms and said, “You’re asking for help?” He couldn’t believe this. Lance, the man who liked to do things on his own accord was asking for help!

Lance responded, “I believe I’ll need the help of all the Champions. It’s a pretty delicate job; however, I’ll only tell you the details if you already say ‘yes,’ otherwise you might as well leave the room.”

The Champions gave each other their own looks. Finally, Leon turned and said, “Before I agree to anything, I need to know what the G-men need from us?”

Lance answered, “The G-men need protection, and help infiltrating Team Rocket bases to destroy any information and evidence they already have. The missing G-men will have to be tracked down. I have their contact information. They’ll answer me, but I doubt they’ll tell me of their whereabouts…” he trailed off.

Steven said, “Is that all?”

Lance shook his head. “No, but I refuse to tell more until I am guaranteed assistance.”

Leon chuckled and said playfully, “You’re a hard bargainer, aren’t you Lance?”

Steven then said, “Lance, let’s be realistic political wise. I don’t want to get Hoenn involved if I don’t know what it is you want. Remember, the G-men have no affiliation with the Pokémon League. We have the authority to say no.”

Leon added, “I’m in the same boat as Steven I’m afraid.”

Cynthia let go of her fiancé’s arm. Since this was now a political matter, personal relationships and feelings had to be pushed aside. Sinnoh was more important. Also, she didn’t want to make a decision based off of their relationship, because that was a conflict of interest, and things could get messy. Instead of berating the Indigo League Champion, she said gently, “Lance, what’s going on? You can tell us.”

Lance clenched his teeth and stared at the bed covers. He was in a pickle. He really wanted to tell them everything, but the information was so sacred, that he was afraid somebody would turn and expose everything. He said, “If you don’t want to help, that’s fine. I can fend for myself and look for the G-men on my own; however, without help, the process will be slower and the longer I delay and infiltrate bases, the higher the chance I get killed or Team Rocket gets closer to what they want…”

Annoyed, Steven interjected, “For fuck’s sake, Lance, just tell us!”

Cynthia snapped, “Steven, yelling isn’t going to get us anywhere!” She then turned back to Lance who was quite surprised at the man’s outburst. It was probably the only hint of emotion he showed since Leon and Steven first entered the room. “Lance, are you going into hiding?”

Lance reluctantly nodded. He said, “As soon as I’m out of the hospital, I’ll gather some things and find a place to hide while I do some investigating of my own and track down the G-men. I need Team Rocket to think I’m pushing daisies right now, or else they’ll come after me and make sure I’m dead.” He then grabbed Cynthia’s hand. “But it doesn’t mean that I won’t be keeping in contact.”

Leon then said politely, “Lance, I need something to work with. Think through this in a Champion’s perspective. If I were you right now, and I asked the same thing of you without giving any context, would you jump in right away, or would you think about Johto and Kanto first and how it might affect your region. Wouldn’t you like to know just in case there’s a better idea out there? Like Steven said earlier, the G-men are a separate thing. We can just leave you in the dust.”

Lance then closed his eyes. He clenched his hands and allowed the sheets to curl between his fingers. “You guys are my only hope.”

Yes! Leon was getting somewhere. He prodded the Indigo League Champion a little bit more, “Then please tell us. It will not leave this room, and if it does, I’ll hunt whomever said anything down.”

The man had a point. Lance thought for a little bit longer and the others allowed him that time. If he had to fake death to avoid giving Team Rocket information, then it was definitely a serious matter. Lance continued to hold Cynthia’s hand. This was rough, and he needed some support from a loved one. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but promise me this…if you say no, I will personally drag you to headquarters and take you to our Alakazam. He will then penetrate your mind and remove any recollection of our conversation here. How does that sound?”

Cynthia said, “Okay, I promise.”

“Me too,” said Leon.

Steven nodded. In truth, he should’ve just left. Why should he help Lance? He doesn’t even like him.

Too late now, because Lance started, “Some stuff might be repetitive, but it’s necessary. One month ago, fourteen G-men – including myself – were sent to Mt. Silver to investigate a rumor. To give some context, a few days prior, the G-men were infiltrating a Team Aqua base and overheard that there was something on Mt. Silver that was capable of causing mass destruction. Of course, those were just rumors, but because it came from Team Aqua’s lips, we had to find out if what they were saying was true.”

He then took some time to collect his own memories, and try to keep his emotions in check. Cynthia, seeing that Lance was struggling, assured him, “You’re doing great, babe.”

Lance continued, “We went to investigate, and we found a cavern we were looking for. After entering, the cavern expanded and we came across a castle made of pure crystal. Of course, nothing was made easy. The main gate had hundreds of seals placed on it, but luckily, we had the resources to break those seals and enter. We then went inside the palace and investigated some more,” a pause, then, “let’s just say that we found what we were looking for, and confirmed that the rumors were true, but not without a price.”

Another deep breath.

Steven then took the opportunity to examine Lance’s face. He could see that the more Lance talked, the more uncomfortable he looked. It looked as if real emotion was peeking through that hard shell.

“What we found was a monster that had a lust for blood. It didn’t hesitate to kill. We found it behind a gate with no seal, and from behind that gate, it was able to kill most of our team. First, it killed our team leader with a single talon because he got too close; then, it used its scales as projectiles and injured all of us, but unfortunately, killed some; when those who were still alive got their bearings again, the monster used a special ability, where those who looked into its eyes would be put under some kind of spell, and that spell would force the person possessed to turn against their comrades. Some of our G-men had fallen under that hex and those alive were forced to kill them…” he trailed off, but silence was still amiss.

“Only four of us escaped. We sealed the main gates again, and the cavern with our own special seals. We then also managed to hide the cavern itself with an illusion, so that no one, but the G-men could find it. We left and I don’t think any of us have been the same since. In less than ten minutes, ninety percent of the G-men organization was wiped out by a weapon; just imagine what it could do to an entire region. We took time off of work, because of what happened and what we saw, but we swore to secrecy. We all wrote our reports, and hoped to let it rot in a locked cabinet for eternity. Lastly, we’ve been keeping an eye on Team Aqua just in case they got any ideas.”

“What was the monster?” Leon asked.

Lance answered, “A Rayquaza…made of ice.”

“So, that injury you came home with,” Cynthia said, “That wasn’t from a wild Sneasel?”

Lance said, “No, it was a couple of the Ice Rayquaza’s scales. Like I said, all of us were injured after it did that, and my arm was no exception.”

Leon and Steven stood there, shocked. They’ve never heard of a Rayquaza made of ice before.

But Lance continued, looking more anxious than Steven and Leon had ever seen him, “We aren’t sure if the Rayquaza is a natural being or a hybrid species, but none of us are too keen on knowing. We just fear that this monster will fall into the wrong hands and hurt innocent people.”

Cynthia then said, “So, how did Team Rocket find out?”

“Our G-men captains, Horus and Kristina were killed. Information regarding the Mt. Silver incident, along with the G-men profiles were all taken, so seeing this list now was of no surprise. Shortly after their deaths, we put headquarters under lockdown and put together our own investigation. The information taken wasn’t detailed. It was very basic. For example, in Horus’ report, they knew that there was a cavern, but it was never mentioned where. We also found out in our investigation that there was a spy who provided Team Rocket with this information. We all came to an agreement too that this spy was the one who probably killed both captains. That’s when most of us realized that we were in big trouble if we did not scatter and then regroup, so some went into hiding right away. The only ones who didn’t hide – Patty and I – couldn’t because we had others obligations.”

Steven questioned, “So, why do you need help from the Champions? I know you said this before but…”

“The remaining G-men need to be found. The G-men need to meet together and fight Team Rocket, but we can’t do it with our numbers. Also, they won’t do it unless they are guaranteed protection, but they’ll most definitely get involved if they know that strong Pokémon trainers are on their side. With your help, we can all infiltrate Team Rocket bases all at once and destroy any information that is currently in their hands, because I suspect that they have more than just what they took from Horus. However, if things go sideways, then we’ll have to go to Mt. Silver and deal with the problem ourselves. The G-men would rather leave the Pokémon where it is, but if Team Rocket gets to it first, then something else must be done. I know we all think of our regions first, but if that Pokémon falls into the wrong hands, the regions will be destroyed, and you won’t be able to stop it when it’s on a rampage.”

When he was finished, the other Champions sat there and thought it over. Lance added, just to give them a little more convincing, “I’ll pay you all for your efforts. I’ll pay you before the mission starts. Just give me your information for a direct deposit.”

Leon asked, “How many Champions do you need?”

Lance answered, “As many as I can get.”

Steven commented, “You know that not everyone likes you.”

Lance blinked. He frowned, “I don’t care if you like me or not. I’m asking as a G-man, not a Champion or a colleague. Don’t bring personal issues into this. This monster can make a big impact on your regions. Obviously with me being Champion, Johto/Kanto will be on the G-men’s side. As for the rest of you, if you don’t want to help, I’m fine with that. I’m not putting a gun to your head.”

After putting some thought into the situation, Cynthia said, “Sinnoh will be on your side. I’ll die for my region, and if you say that this Pokémon can destroy it in a heartbeat, then I want to stop Team Rocket from obtaining it too.”

Leon chimed, “Count Galar in too.”

Steven looked at Lance again. He gawked into the man’s eyes and saw emotion. The man looked desperate. He looked scared. He said, “Okay, I’ll do it too.”

Leon said, “So, now that, that’s settled, what the first order of business?”

Lance replied, “Call a meeting with the Champions, and I’ll explain everything that I said to you all. After seeing how many want to get involved, I’ll go from there; however, I will be in hiding, so I’ll be talking to you all via video comm. Are we good?”

“Okay,” Leon said, “Let’s do this!”

Cynthia smiled. She continued to hold Lance’s hand. She could tell that he was still upset that he was cornered, but it was for the greater good as one could say.

_Chapter 5 is next…_


	5. Lance's Last Night and Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven doesn't understand Lance.  
> And Lance answers.

_Blackthorn Estate…_

After being dispatched from the hospital, and returning to Blackthorn Estate in Johto, Lance was lounging on a lone wooden bench outside. He was gawking at the stars in the sky, trying to determine which ones were alive or dead. He also had a black wooden box by his feet. As he continued to play games with himself, a voice arose:

“You wanted to see me?”

After straightening his posture, Lance turned around and observed Steven in his usual attire. Lance asked to have a word with Steven before the younger man would leave for Hoenn. Lance greeted, “Ah – good evening Steven,” the older man then shimmied his way over to the other side of the bench. “Please, take a seat.”

Steven was hesitant at first. He was going to respond with “ _I’d rather stand,”_ but Cynthia’s words echoed in his head _, “Steven, I think if you actually sat down with Lance, and had a conversation, you’d discover that he’s not the bad guy you make him out to be.”_ Heeding Cynthia’s words, Steven took a seat next to Lance.

As soon as he sat down, Lance grasped the black box by his feet, opened it, and displayed the contents inside.

Inside were cigars. Lance stated, “I got these from Kalos last year. Please take one. I insist.”

Steven was unsure. “Umm…”

But Lance assured, “I don’t smoke that much either.”

And with that, Steven took out a cigar from the box. Lance then grabbed his own, and place it between his teeth. He then reached into the box again and withdrew a lighter. After lighting both of their cigars, Lance started, “So, how’s your father?”

“My father?”

“Yeah, Joseph?”

“Why? Do you know him?”

Lance replied, “Bah – not well, but he did get into some trouble with the G-men when Devon Corporation was reviving Pokémon fossils. I infiltrated the company to see what was really happening, but my cover was blown. I told him why I was there, and he gave me the details. The G-man in Hoenn then took charge and used to check up on him every now and then. Its been five years since we last talked.”

For a moment, Steven looked at Lance in awe. He then brushed Lance’s statement aside, and said, “I didn’t know you cared. If you must know, my father is fine. He’s healthy, happy and cares about Pokémon just as much as we do.” Steven took a quick puff of the cigar, and immediately choked; its been a long time since he smoked a cigar. Normally, they were shared for special occasions.

Watching Steven struggle, Lance couldn’t help, but give a genuine laugh.

Steven was taken aback. He had never heard Lance laugh like that before.

Lance then placed his cigar on his tongue. Between clenched teeth, he said, “Cynthia told me that you were on another trip researching and looking for stones for your collection. Where did you go? Did you find anything interesting?”

Steven shrugged. “I stayed in Hoenn. I was far south though. And no, there was nothing interesting. A lot of it was more or less the same stones that I’ve collected in the past.”

Being ever so elegant, Lance took the cigar out of his mouth and exhaled through both his mouth and nostrils. He had always been such a drama queen, and somehow, he made smoking look appealing. Lance said, “If you don’t mind, maybe one day I could see your collection? I’m always open for learning something new.”

Steven raised a brow. “Since when are you interested in rocks?”

Lance shrugged. “I don’t mind someone teaching me something that I have zero knowledge of.”

“Lance…are you feeling alright?”

Lance paused, then replied, “I don’t know.”

Steven thought for a moment after hearing that statement. To be fair, Lance had lost a lot of his colleagues and friends in less than a month, and now with Team Rocket on his tail, he was probably stupidly anxious. Instead of replying, Steven just took another puff of his cigar.

Still feeling the tension, Lance looked at the younger man and finally said, “Steven, I’m sorry for what happened six years ago. I don’t know what got over me that year. I guess I was still bitter at Hoenn and myself. I hope you can forgive me.”

Steven stopped and looked at Lance. He apologized again (according to Cynthia), but this time he was all ears. Steven then frowned, “You made my life a living hell for a year.”

“…I know.”

“You harassed me, you threatened me, and I was always looking over my shoulder, wondering when you were going to go through with those threats.”

Lance didn’t deny those accusations. Everything the younger man said was true. “Yes, and for that, I am sincerely sorry. You’ll probably never forgive me, but I believe in _the third times the charm_.”

Steven looked at the ground. “This is the third time you’ve asked for my forgiveness. Why are so obsessed with the idea that I could pardon you for your actions?”

Lance said with a straight face, “Because I would like to be friends.”

Steven scoffed. “Are you saying that because of Cynthia? Are you trying to befriend me because of her?”

Lance answered, “I’d like to be friends, because of no one.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve watched you from a distance. I see how much you make people laugh and smile. Even against the hardest of hearts, you manage to find a way to brighten their day.” He then took another puff of his cigar, and exhaled, “I’d kill to have a friend like that. Unfortunately, I might’ve put a permanent dent in our relationship.”

Steven said a tad harsh, “Don’t any of your friends make you smile?”

Lance went quiet, very quiet. A little unnerved, Steven looked over and observed Lance gawking at his feet. He looked miserable; it was a facial expression much more intense than Steven had ever seen come from Lance. It was uncomfortable to look at.

Then, Steven realized what he had just said. His statement struck a chord, and he knew why. “Oh, my Arceus Lance, I am so sorry! I – I didn’t realize – I was just saying what I thought. I do that sometimes. Oh, please don’t be upset!”

But Lance failed to reply.

_“Shit,”_ Steven yelled internally, _“I can handle people like Iris, Wallace and Cynthia when they’re upset, but Lance is on a totally different level! Cynthia told me that if he got upset, he would totally shut himself down for Arceus knows how long until he felt like talking again. She mentioned numerous times that it was frustrating. Shit, Cynthia would kill me if she found out I distressed her fiancé! I don’t know what to do!”_

“Yes,” Lance said, “I _did_ have friends that made me smile, but maybe I’m just looking for one more.” His sad expression then melted away, and his seriousness resurfaced.

Steven breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn’t have to deal with the wrath of Cynthia. Hmm…maybe she was right in stating that Lance was a very sensitive man. While looking at Lance, Steven said, “I have a question. Please don’t be offended.”

Lance chuckled a little, “I’ll try not to.”

Steven wanted to wring the man’s neck again. If there was anything he really hated about Lance, it was his stupid and sarcastic remarks. After calming his inner self, Steven asked, “Just now, when I mentioned your late friends, you showed me grief. I saw a sadness in your eyes and mouth that made me sick to my stomach with guilt. So, how come you don’t show any of that in public? I mean, I’ve seen you around Cynthia; you’re a totally different person. You display to her all sorts of emotions that everyone else is missing out on. You confuse me Lance, you really do.”

Lance understood Steven completely. He answered, “I know where you’re coming from, Steven. Sometimes, my overly confident and calm demeanor can make me come off as an asshole. But I don’t mean to. In my younger days, I treated most of the Champions like shit, because I was immature and thought that the world was after my region; but as I got older and more comfortable into my new position, I swallowed my pride and attempted to mend those relationships. I succeeded with a few – and we’re on good terms – but there are some who are still wary of me.” He then raised the cigar to his lips, but stopped just as he was about to put it into his mouth. “All I just wanted was to be friends.”

It didn’t give Steven much to work with. Lance’s explanation was sort of all over the map, but maybe he was getting somewhere.

Steven tried again, “What’s your ideal version of a friend?”

Lance took a deep breath. He looked back up at the sky to gather his thoughts before saying, “My ideal version of a friend is someone who I can always go to when something good or bad happens in my life. They’re someone I can have a beer with in the backyard, and talk about life’s greatest mysteries. I’ve never done that before. Well, maybe I will one day, but it won’t happen anytime soon, because the ideal friend has to have 100% of my trust.” He placed the cigar back in his mouth, and took another puff.

Steven blinked. That last sentence was definitely off the radar. “I don’t understand. You somewhat answered my original question.”

Lance shifted his body to face Steven directly; he locked his grey eyes with Steven’s baby blue. “Steven, for several years, I’ve gotten hurt emotionally. After being hurt too many times, I built a wall to protect myself. In short, I have trust issues.”

“Really?”

“Unlike other children, I was mostly alone. I had Clair, but she’s family so she doesn’t count. I never played out in the schoolyard, or talked about Pokémon with someone else, because I was always ignored, and when someone did manage to come around, they turned on me and left my life for good. I was thirteen when I started taking being a dragon master seriously, along with collecting badges. As I got stronger, I made some friends, but those friendships did not last, because they found something better.” He drew another breath of smoke. “Later, being the leader of the Elite Four and Champion of Johto did me no favours. I was so busy, and under so much duress that I couldn’t keep any friendships. It was very frustrating. I remember five years ago I made a friend who wasn’t a Pokémon trainer. We kept in contact quite frequently, and did what I considered normal things. I then lowered my guard, because I really thought that this friendship was genuine, however, again, I was wrong. He figuratively stabbed me in the back, and our friendship was terminated. I think it had to do with jealousy, but regardless, I had been hurt again, and after that, I haven’t bothered searching for another friend just to have the same thing happen. I don’t feel like delving deeper into my past, but what I will say is that after being hurt so many times for so many years, I’ve gotten sick and tired of starting something only for it to fall apart in a year and be a total waste of time. I’ve tried being friendly with people, but when they aren’t friendly back right away, I give up. I’ve given up on a lot of people.”

Steven said playfully, “Have you given up on me yet? I assume not since you’re wanting to be friends.”

“I almost did, but I continued to see the good in you that I strived to possess. I wanted to see what everyone else sees in you. I wanted to experience what everyone else experiences with you. Unfortunately, even if you accept being friends with me, I will still be cautious. I will have my guard up for a long time. I’ve known Leon for two years, and I’m just starting to warm up to him.” Lance then turned away. He continued, “Cynthia makes me very happy, and I love her, but she can only make me happy for so long. I want to have someone else there that I can trust and go to whenever I feel elated or upset. And right now, all I’ve got is my fiancé, no one else.”

Steven shifted his eyes to the side. At least he understood Lance now. To sum everything up, Lance was the way he was, because he’d been hurt and betrayed so many times that he didn’t want people to get close to him. He feared that the cycle would continue if he showed any vulnerability. Cynthia was definitely right. He was one of the most sensitive human beings he ever came across. And well…he wasn’t the bad guy that Steven thought he was. He was just human.

Steven said frankly, “I forgive you, Lance.”

“Huh?”

Steven gave Lance a warm smile before saying again, “I forgive you for everything that happened in the past.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Just like that?”

“Yep,” Steven said as he held out his hand. It was a gesture of peace and unity. “I think we can be friends. We can get to know each other better, and maybe one day, when all of this blows over and you’re comfortable with me, you can come over to my place and we can have a beer on the patio in my backyard.”

Lance felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He breathed a sigh of relief. He then shook Steven’s hand while giving a smile that the younger man wasn’t used to seeing. “Thank you, Steven.”

After, Steven raised the cigar as if he were toasting to good fortune. He said, “Thanks for the cigar by the way. It’s decent considering its from Kalos.”

Lance laughed, “That’s what I said! Cigars from the Johto Region are better.”

“Nuh-uh. The best ones are made in the Hoenn region.”

“I guess I should thank you again Steven,” Lance said unexpectedly.

“What? Why are you thanking me again?”

Lance smiled softly. “It’s been a long time since someone asked me why I act a certain way…and I…really appreciated that.”

“Then I guess I should say you’re welcome.” A pause, then, “I have another question.”

“Go for it.”

“So, is Clair like your sister or something?”

“No, she’s my cousin.”

“Why is she such a bitch?”

“Must be a Blackthorn thing,” Lance joked. He then said, “Steven, can you do me a favour?”

“A favour?”

Lance nodded. “Can you please take care of Cynthia? Whether I’m alive or dead, she needs someone there to watch over her if I’m not there. I know that she wants to go on a research journey with you some time in the near future, so when I’m not around, please don’t let her out of your sight.”

Steven smiled. “I promise.”

* * *

Inside the estate, Lance entered his bedroom. The lights were already off, meaning that Cynthia had already gone to bed. Had he really been outside with Steven for that long? Being the decent host that Lance always was, he offered Steven a guest room, but the blue haired man insisted that he must return to Hoenn as soon as possible.

Lance then went to the in-suite bathroom and took a shower. After tending to his hair needs, he stopped and stared at the wall in front of him, now allowing the water to drown out his senses. He heard voices. He must’ve been in his own world for a long time, because someone was knocking on the door.

“Lance?” There were a few more knocks. It was most likely Cynthia. “Are you alright in there?”

Lance did not answer the voice; he just continued to stare at a spot on the wall. Then, the curtains were pulled away and Cynthia observed her fiancé stuck in the abyss. She said, concerned, “Lance, are you alright?”

Lance snapped out of his thoughts. He then turned to Cynthia, blushed a little, and said, “What’re you…”

“You’ve been in the shower for over half an hour. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Has it really been that long?” Lance said as he turned off the water. After, Cynthia threw a towel at him.

“Come on, big boy. Let’s go to bed.”

Lance looked at the towel, and then back at Cynthia before blushing in embarrassment. He thought in frustration, _“What the hell is wrong with me?”_

Ten minutes later, Lance hopped into bed with Cynthia. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close. He said with his eyes closed, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

After hearing his statement, Cynthia felt like crying. “It’s not goodbye, is it?”

Lance chuckled. He then played with Cynthia’s long hair. “No, it’s not goodbye. I’ll have my Pokégear with me, and will communicate with video comm. I’ll be contacting you often, and I hope you’d do the same?”

Cynthia pushed herself deeper into Lance’s bare chest. He was warm. “I will do the same. You know, you should take someone with you. If you’re on your own, I’m going to be a mother hen and call you every ten minutes.”

Lance replied, “Babe, regardless if I have someone with me or not, you’ll still call every ten minutes. And I expect that of you, okay?”

Cynthia playfully slapped his arm. “Oh, you!”

There was a long pause between them before Lance said, “I love you so much, Cynthia. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m away.”

“Why can’t I come with you?”

“The Champions need you. You’re the strongest out of everyone, and are certainly the most capable of being their leader. I’ll be talking to all of you via video comm tomorrow to explain the situation to the other Champions and see who’s willing to join you, Leon and Steven.” Lance then stopped to think. Maybe he should take someone with him. All of the missing G-men needed a bodyguard, so why not have his own? And since he’d be infiltrating Team Rocket bases later, it would be better to have a partner. It just couldn’t be Cynthia.

A tear then ran down Cynthia’s cheek. “I love you too, Lance. Can we…make love before you leave?”

Lance responded as he wiped away her tears, “Of course,” he then kissed her passionately.

_Chapter 6 is next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that's enough exposition. Now we're going to get in the more action packed stuff.


	6. Assigning Missions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gives everyone helping him their missions over a video conference call. *shorter chapter*

In the midst of the Champion conference via video comm, Iris, Wallace and Diantha were the only ones that said yes. The other past and present Champions said no to Lance’s request, and as per deal, Lance had already hailed a G-man representative to pay a visit to each trainer with his Alakazam, where the information Lance shared this evening would be eradicated from their memory. Lance would rather not discard the information this way, but he couldn’t afford to have anything leak. He wasn’t mad or disappointed in those who said no; he respected their decisions. Thinking it over, he could see that some Champions might have been too young and inexperienced to consider a mission of this calibre, while others might not have been much help. 

Meanwhile in Sinnoh, Cynthia was confidently sitting in front of the video comm. On the large monitor before her, she saw the faces of the Champions who accepted Lance’s plea for help; all of them were in their own regions, except for the Dragon Master. Cynthia could also see herself on the screen, and she took a glance at her image a few times to make sure that she was sitting up straight, acting professional, and looking like a leader. She knew deep down in her heart and mind that Lance was right in stating that she was the one most appropriate to lead the Champions on this quest, so she should start acting like one.

When everyone looked like they were ready for their instructions, Lance appeared with a stack of papers. He had his reading glasses on, which wasn’t new news. It was funny to some, because a man who was two years shy of being thirty already needed spectacles, but it wasn’t his fault that people’s writing was too small.

Cynthia gave a brief solemn expression. It was hard seeing Lance on the other end, knowing that he wasn’t in his own region, hiding from danger, and all alone; however, she snapped out of those depressing thoughts when Lance started:

_“Alright, we’re back. Now that all of those who aren’t participating are no longer here, let us finally get down to business. First, we’ll talk about payment. Champions Leon, Steven and Cynthia, the money is already in your bank accounts. Champions Diantha, Iris, and Wallace, you will provide me your information for direct deposit. I’m still using my email frequently, so you can give me the information that way. Once that is done, you’ll receive the money the day after. Are there any issues or questions towards payment methods or payment in general?”_

He waited. No one answered.

 _“Good,”_ Lance continued, _“Just keep in mind that you are not doing this for free, and since you are getting paid a pretty penny, there’s no reason to procrastinate or slack off.”_

Normally, the Champions wouldn’t approve of Lance’s tone, but because Lance was now considered a client, they were listening intently. As Lance knew all too well, money talked. _“Moving on, we’ll now discuss your missions, but I’ll give you a warning first. The missions are fast paced and can easily change depending on the circumstances. A mission that might normally take two days could suddenly take a week. Now, I suggest that you all write your missions down. I’ll give you all a minute.”_

As Lance sorted out his papers, the other Champions listened and retrieved their own writing tools and notepads.

Cynthia used her Pokégear. She then said into her mic, “I’m ready.”

Leon smiled and said, _“I don’t need a pen and paper. I have the greatest memory known to mankind.”_

Diantha replied, smug, _“Get a pen and something to write on, Leon...and try not to doodle.”_

Iris said, elated, _“I can remember things well too.”_

Diantha sighed, _“You guys…”_

Steven raised his fountain pen and said, _“I’m ready when you are, Champion Lance.”_

Lance said, _“Okay, as you all know, the remaining G-men are all in hiding except for one. I talked to them this morning, but only one told me their exact location. Obviously, the G-men don’t trust each other, so the mission for now is to retrieve those missing. You will be their bodyguards and helpers as we eventually infiltrate Team Rocket bases, but we won’t get into the latter just yet; let’s focus on finding everyone, getting to know them, and then rounding them up. As an FYI, they’ve all been through a lot, so you might have to do some convincing. We need them, because they all know Team Rocket like the back of their hands, and together with the Champions, the job will get done faster.”_

Diantha chimed, _“Lance, what about the Ice Rayquaza?”_

Lance looked at Diantha and replied, _“The G-men want to leave Pokémon where it is. Currently, it is sealed away on Mt. Silver. All we want for now is to destroy any information on the subject that Team Rocket currently has, but like I said, we’ll focus on retrieval of the G-men first before we consider the Ice Rayquaza.”_ He then shuffled some papers around, before continuing, _“Champions Cynthia and Steven, I have your mission here. You will be sent to Castelia City in the Unova Region. The address is 4546 King Street. You will be looking for a woman named Patty Fay, and she is the only one not in hiding. Unfortunately, she has other commitments, so she couldn’t afford to hide like the rest of us, but it doesn’t mean that she has her guard lowered. She is at that address from 9:00am-5:00pm. After that, she will be at the port. She owns a small yacht with a distinct teal stripe running across the exterior. There should be a bell. She'll only answer if you ring it five times. Now, we need Patty, because she is an exceptional navigator when given a blueprint, she’s never failed a mission, and she has Pokémon that are good at infiltration and sealings. I will warn you that she does have a strong, outgoing personality, but if you introduce yourselves as Champions and say that Lance Blackthorn sent you, she’ll no doubt trust you. Do any of you have questions?”_

Cynthia asked, “What do we do once we find her?”

Lance answered, _“You will convince her to help us. As soon as she’s on board, please video comm me, and we’ll begin phase two on your end. Anything else?”_

Steven said, _“Lance.”_

_“Yes?”_

_“What does Patty look like?”_

Lance answered straight away, _“She has purple hair and brown eyes. Hopefully she looks the same. Any more questions?”_

Steven and Cynthia remained quiet.

Lance continued, _“Great. Champions Iris and Diantha, you will be looking for a young man named Milos Thorndrak. He never disclosed his exact location to me, but he did say that he was in Kalos on Route 17. Champion Diantha, as you know, the route has snowy terrain and is very cold, so please dress warm; knowing Milos, I wouldn’t be surprised if he dug himself a hole and hid there. It might take you a few days, but I think you’ll eventually find him. We need Milos, because he has an artillery of fire and fighting type Pokémon. Not only that, he gets his missions done fast and efficiently. He’s speedy, so make sure you keep up with him. Unfortunately, Milos might need a lot of convincing; he’s a very paranoid and anxious individual. He’s only been a G-man for a year, so he’s still learning the realities of this job. We definitely need him, so don’t give up on him if he gives you a hard time. Milos has short brown hair and bright gold eyes; those eyes will definitely give him away...a_ _ctually, I’m going to send you all photos of your targets to your Pokégear. It’ll just make thing easier just in case your targets decided to change their appearance in the last month. Champions Iris and Diantha, do you have any questions?”_

Iris shouted in excitement, _“No way! I’m ready to go and get scaredy-cat Milos!”_ After all, it had been quite some time since she’d gone on an adventure.

Diantha chuckled, _“Maybe if I put my acting skills to the test and seduce him, he’ll listen and come with us without thinking twice.”_

Cynthia grumbled, “I don’t think that’s very funny, Champion Diantha.”

Diantha whined, _“Oh – come on! It was just a light hearted tease.”_

Lance laughed a little. _“I don’t recommend that, Champion Diantha. And Champion Iris, be careful with Milos, okay? Like me, he saw a lot of death that day, and I think he was impacted the most, because of his immaturity as a G-man.”_

Iris saluted, _“Yes, Champion Lance!”_

Lance then placed the set of papers he was holding aside and grabbed a new stack. After licking his fingers, he flipped through the pages and said, _“Champion Wallace.”_

_“Yes?”_

_“You’ll be finding a man named Freida Forlorn. He’s an executive of the G-men. Instead of retrieving him, your job will be to interrogate him.”_

Wallace gasped, _“Interrogating? What? Arceus, I’m no interrogator. I don’t know what you think I am Champion Lance, but I’m not into that sort of stuff. As far as I’m concerned, Champion Diantha seems like the more suitable person for the job.”_

Diantha scowled, _“And what is that supposed to mean?”_

Wallace shrugged, _“You’re an actress. You can play good cop, bad cop, can’t you?”_

Lance interjected softly, _“Wallace, I understand what you are saying, but I picked you specifically because you’d have an easier time talking to him than anyone else would. You two have the same interests and personality traits. He’s into Pokémon contests too, and I believe he is quite fond of you from a fan’s perspective. I_ _t’s too bad Freida never pinpointed his exact location to me. All he stated was that he was hiding in Goldenrod City.”_

Wallace gasped again, _“What? That’s it? Goldenrod City is too big. It’ll take me a full year to find him!”_

Lance said, _“I agree with you, but since you two are similar personality wise, just think and look in places that you would be on a Friday night. I have a feeling that you’ll find him faster than Champions Diantha and Iris will find Milos. He’s medium length brown hair, blue eyes, likes to wear clothes similar to yours, and he’s an older gentleman. Just like everyone else, I’ll send you his official G-man profile picture.”_

Wallace then said, _“So, why do you want me to interrogate him? Why isn’t it a retrieval mission like everyone else?”_

Lance took off his reading glasses. He said, _“It’s not a retrieval mission, because he wasn’t on Mt. Silver when the incident occurred. Right after Horus and Kristina were killed, he was one of the first to run out of the gate. I have a feeling that there’s something fishy going on with him, and I want to know what that is. Of course, what I’m saying is a big accusation, but no matter how you slice the pie, there was still someone who gave Team Rocket classified information.”_

Wallace asked, _“So are you saying that he’s the spy?”_

 _“No,”_ Lance replied, _“I just want you to talk to him and be his friend for the day; however, I need you to ask tough questions. He might not seem like the kind of guy that would betray the organization, but you can never be too careful. If Freida doesn’t want to tell me where he is, then I have a reason to be suspicious. Once you gather your findings, you will email your report to me, and then I will give you further instruction based on the information you provided. Any questions?”_

_“No.”_

Lance then looked at each Champion and said, _“I’ll deal with the last G-man called Thrasher Stevenson. Being hard headed and condescending, no doubt he’ll take some time to convince. Regrettably, I can only do it through the phone, because he refrains from giving me any information on his whereabouts. Despite his strong personality, we need him, because like Patty, he is an excellent navigator. He also knows computers and can retrieve information with ease.”_

After discussing Wallace's assignment, there was a long pause before, _Hey, did you forget about me or something?”_ It was Leon.

Lance gave the Galar Champion a cunning smile. _“No, I didn’t forget about you. Champion Leon, you’ll be joining me in Fiore. That’s where I am right now.”_

Cynthia’s eyes widened. He was in Fiore?

The Dragon Master continued, _“I’m currently residing in Lyra forest. There’s a little shop in the north east corner of the forest that just opened up for business two months ago. The shopkeeper there knows me, and I’ve informed him about you, so if you tell him who you are, he’ll take you to me without question.”_

Leon laughed, _“So, is it going to be a free vacation then? Can I put my feet up while everyone else does all of the hard work?”_

Lance shook his head. _“No, you’ll be helping me research. Right now, I am searching for Team Rocket hideouts through satellite imagery. Once I find them, I’ll need to hack into their computers and steal their blueprints. Unfortunately, my computer knowledge is limited, and I’ll need a hand. I would like Thrasher to join the team, because he could get what I’m trying to achieve done in less than ten seconds while I would take a whole week. Since it’ll take some time to get on his good side, I will need some assistance in both gathering information and convincing Thrasher to get involved without getting torn a new strip. You'll be leaving for Fiore as soon as this meeting is adjourned. Any questions or concerns?”_

 _“Is the food any good over there?”_ Leon asked.

The Indigo League Champion rolled his eyes. That must mean no.

Lance then said, _“That's it. After running through everything, are there any other questions or concerns?”_

There was no answer. Apparently, everyone understood their missions.

 _“Alright,”_ Lance said, _“my Pokégear will be on me at all times, so if you need anything, I’m available unless stated otherwise. Are we good?_

The Champions all nodded.

Lance concluded, _“Again, I would like to thank you all for doing this. It’s a great relief to have so many on our side despite the G-men not having any relations with the Pokémon League. Have a good night everyone, good luck and Arceus bless.”_

The Champions then signed off except for Cynthia. Lance saw this, and refrained from going anywhere. Cynthia started, “So you’re in Fiore? I’ve never been there before.”

Lance answered in a serious tone of voice, _“Yes, I’m currently gathering information there, so that when you all complete phase one of your mission, phase two will be at the ready. Now as you know, I’m choosing you as the leader of the Champions, and it’s not for personal reasons. You will keep in contact with everyone, and ask them how their missions are going. You will then report to me whenever you can. When phase two eventually begins, I’ll need you to give everyone direction, because there will be more than just parties of two tunneling through Team Rocket hideouts. You **will** follow G-men orders, but the Champions will have an easier time following you. Am I clear?”_

Cynthia understood. She then asked, “Is there a reason why you want me to report on everyone’s mission status? Do you not trust us?”

Lance answered, _“I need a time frame to work with. I have to know whether or not I should give up on Thrasher. I was originally going to send Champion Leon after him to annoy him to death until he said yes, but Thrasher refused to tell me anything. He said that a phone call will have to do…can we talk off the record now?”_

“Yes, please,” Cynthia said.

_“Are you alright?”_

Cynthia gave her fiancé a soft smile, “I miss you already, but it’s good to see that you’re safe.”

Lance’s facial features relaxed. He then gave the smile that he always saved for his one true love, _“Fiore is very beautiful. Maybe we should go there for our honeymoon instead of the Orange Islands.”_

Cynthia said, as she scratched the right side of her head with one finger, “I'm afraid you'll have to give me a tourism pamphlet to convince me.”

Still seeing the uneasiness due to their physical separation, Lance assured, _“Don’t worry, Cynthia. My prediction is that the mission will be completed in less than two weeks, and then we can all go back to our normal lives. I’ve found some listings of houses at the tail end of the Sinnoh region. It should shave off at least three hours of travel when I go to Johto for work.”_

Cynthia crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. “That’s still a long ways to travel there and back.” She then felt bad. The two Champions had their own obligations to their regions, and Lance was more than willing to meet in the middle and move to Hoenn, but Cynthia was stubborn and wanted to stay in Sinnoh.

Still smiling, Lance said, _“It’s okay, Cynthia. We’ll find a way to make this work. I'll make sure of it.”_

“I’m sure we will.”

 _“Anyways,”_ Lance said, _“I should get going. There’s much work to be done. I’ll call you on your Pokégear tomorrow, but if you need to talk to me sooner, don’t be afraid to give me a shout. I might be busy, but I’m never too busy for you.”_

Cynthia blew a kiss towards the screen. “I love you, babe.”

Lance replied, _“I love you too, my knight in shining armor,”_ before the screen turned black.

Cynthia continued to stare at the blank monitor. She couldn’t help, but worry. It wasn’t that Lance was incapable of taking care of himself, or that he did stupid things quite often, but because he was frequently getting lost in his own world. Maybe he was silently suffering? Maybe he was still reliving what happened on Mt. Silver? She wasn’t sure.

_Chapter 7 is next…_


	7. Finding Fay

Immediately after arriving in Castelia City, Cynthia and Steven made their way downtown to the address that Lance had given them during the video conference. Although they both had a map in their grasp, they still got lost in the vast city. It was too big. Cynthia swore that the blocks here were equivalent to three blocks in Veilstone City. There were also too many subway lines, and too many large crowds to fight with. In addition, everyone and everything looked the same. The citizens were all dressed in business attire and they were on their cellphones, making both Steven and Cynthia stick out like sore thumbs. Both being Champions, they were surprised that there wasn’t anyone running after them for their autograph, but it was probably because the people had no time or they didn’t care. The buildings were all nine hundred feet in height and had similar architecture, so it was almost impossible to differentiate a certain company from another.

The two Champions then started scanning the address numbers on each building, but it wasn’t until two hours later when they suddenly realized that they were going the wrong way. After searching for another couple of hours, they reached their destination at three o’clock in the afternoon. They asked for Patty Fay, but were disappointed and irritated when her co-worker told them that she took the day off to go fishing.

With their satchels slung over their shoulders, Steven and Cynthia took transit to the harbor. As they ventured on the bus, Cynthia looked at the picture of Patty on her Pokégear. She was a beautiful woman with long, straight purple hair and brown eyes. Her features were rather distinct, and intellectually wise, she was smart; Cynthia hoped that she wasn’t smart enough to change her appearance.

* * *

Hopping off the bus and now in the presence of Castelia’s harbor, they took a quick scan from their current distance. Compared to downtown, the harbor was considerably smaller, so at least they’d be able to narrow down their target’s location a little easier. With Cynthia leading the way, the Champions started on the far-right side of the harbor, searching for the small yacht with a teal stripe running across its white paint. At first, they thought it wouldn’t be too hard to find a boat with a distinct feature also, but when put side by side with all of the other recreational boats, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Half an hour later, on the left side of the harbor, Cynthia caught sight of the yacht. It was smaller than what she expected, but it still looked exquisite. Drawing closer to the boat, Steven and Cynthia saw a slender female figure tying the boat to the port. She was wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt, skimpy jean shorts and a large sunhat. Underneath the sunhat, they could pin point purple hair that neared her buttocks. It was her, and she must’ve just come back from her fishing adventure.

Steven muttered to Cynthia, “That’s the boat.”

Cynthia glanced at the picture on her Pokégear again. Luckily, after a few seconds, the woman turned to face them, and immediately, Cynthia saw that her face was a perfect match. Being the exact opposite of discreet, Cynthia pointed at the woman and shouted, “It’s her!”

Instantly, Steven appeared behind Cynthia, and clamped his hand over her mouth. He scolded her, “Not too loud! You’re going to scare her away.”

Indeed, the woman heard Cynthia’s statement. She looked at the two figures that were quite menacing to her, and gasped when she realized they were talking about her and her yacht. She then made a run for it onto the boat.

Steven let go of Cynthia. He shouted as he sprinted after the woman, “Great, you scared her off! Let’s get her!”

Following Steven’s trail, Cynthia shouted back, “Don’t make her sound like a criminal!”

When they reached the boat, instead of hopping over the red rope and trespassing, they stopped and searched for the bell that Lance had mentioned. The bell was situated on the right side of a beautiful Xatu statue. Taking the initiative, Steven grasped the rope attached to the bell and rang it five times as instructed. Still holding onto the rope, the Champions waited, but there was no recognition from anywhere on the boat.

Cynthia projected from where she was, “Patty Fay! My name is Cynthia. We were sent here by Lance…”

Refusing to let the Cynthia finish, Steven rang the bell another five times. Then suddenly, the Xatu statue’s head turned to look at the Hoenn Champion. Steven jumped. He let go of the rope and almost fell over backwards from stepping back too quickly. Cynthia’s heart skipped a beat too. They both thought that the Xatu was a well-painted statue, because it had sat there so still. Cynthia smiled. She found that Xatu were beautiful Pokémon, and it looked like this one was well taken care of, because she’d never seen a Xatu’s feathers so bright.

“A Xatu,” Cynthia murmured. Not sure what to make of it, the Champions waited a second for the Xatu to attack them or something, but instead, it turned its head again, and gave them that strange one-eyed side glance.

Then, Steven had a strange idea. According to Lance, this woman had Pokémon that were capable of making and breaking seals, so it wouldn’t be too hard pressed to say that she had the potential to see, speak and hear through Pokémon as well. The Hoenn Champion approached the bird Pokémon. He said straight into its eye, “Patty Fay. My name is Steven Stone from Hoenn, and with me is Cynthia from Sinnoh. We were sent here on a mission to find you and be your bodyguards. Trust us. We are not here to hurt you, we’re here to…”

Then an irritated, feminine voice interjected, “You were sent by Lance? Lance who? I know a lot of people by that name.”

Cynthia jerked. The voice was coming from the Xatu. So, Steven’s suspicions were true; she could communicate through psychic Pokémon. How?

Steven grumbled. Did he really have to go into detail with this woman? Lance apparently called her earlier, so their appearance shouldn’t have been a surprise. “Champion Lance Blackthorn of the Pokémon G-men.”

“What’s his favourite color?”

“Oh my gosh,” Steven exclaimed, “Are we seriously needing passwords?”

Cynthia answered, “Royal blue.”

The female voice was satisfied by that answer. “Very good.”

Cynthia said, “Are you admitting that you’re Patty Fay?”

“I am,” the woman called Patty said, “What’s it to you?”

Steven snapped, “Didn’t you just hear what we said? I told you why we are here.” This woman was going to be a buttload of work.

Cynthia looked back at the picture of Patty on her Pokégear. Patty asked, “Do I look like who you’re looking for?”

Cynthia raised a brow. “So, you can see through that Xatu too.”

A snort on the other end could be heard. “My Xatu and I hold a bond. We can connect through a link. It comes in handy. I guess you could say that my Xatu is my security camera that I can see, hear and speak through.”

“I can see that. I…”

The woman interrupted again, “Why are you two here again?”

Steven was ready to smack a palm against his forehead. “Didn’t Lance tell you anything? He said that he called you…”

“Tell me, you rat!”

Steven growled. He’d never been called that before. “Can’t you let either of us finish a damn sentence? We were sent to find you under orders of Lance Blackthorn. Our mission is to be your bodyguards, and…”

“Wait,” Patty muttered, “You both look familiar.”

Steven was ready to jump into the water. He was normally a nice guy, but this woman was too much.

Then, Patty shouted, “OH MY ARCEUS! You two are the Champions of Sinnoh and Hoenn!”

The Xatu then returned to its original position. In a matter of seconds, Steven and Cynthia could hear footsteps running up to the main deck. A person then appeared, and it was indeed the woman from before, Patty Fay. They examined her again. She was wearing the same thing, but her sunhat was gone, revealing her long purple hair, and chocolate brown eyes. Just like her profile picture, her facial features were sharp, and she had the longest eyelashes that they had ever seen before on a woman; Cynthia was a little jealous. As for her body, she was slender, had some curvature, and bore decent muscle. It was odd though. Although she was beautiful and only twenty-seven, she looked a lot older, but maybe it was due to stress that came with the job. Sometimes Lance would come back to Sinnoh after a mission looking like he was thirty-five because of the intensity and exhaustion that was implemented in each mission.

After sizing up the Champions, Patty quickly went to Steven and Cynthia, and jumped over the rope and onto the port. She then fell to her knees, and bent forwards as if she were seeking forgiveness. She said, “Please forgive me Champions for my insolent behaviour! Lance only told me that he was sending two Pokémon trainers, but he never revealed who they actually were!”

The Champions raised their brows. They weren’t expecting that from her.

Cynthia nervously chuckled. She said with confidence, “It’s okay, Patty. Neither of us are mad.”

Steven shook his head in disbelief. Maybe Cynthia wasn’t mad, but this woman just made things harder for him, and that annoyed Steven greatly. Steven said, “If you knew we were coming, then why did you run away?”

Patty scowled. It seemed that she really didn’t like the Hoenn Champion. She then comically hopped to her feet and exclaimed, “Hey, I ran because I only heard a ‘It’s her!’ Only sleazy scum like Team Rocket says that kind of shit. Both of you scared the living daylights out of me, and if you hadn’t rung that bell five times, I would’ve definitely gone for my kitchen knife.” 

Cynthia gulped after hearing that statement. It seemed that this woman would rather deal with people herself than using her Pokémon to do the job for her.

Then, with a smile, Patty said more gently, “Shall we start over then? I’m Patty Fay, but please call me Fay. Patty is too uncool of a name for a G-man.” She then reached out a hand, and without fault, both Champions accepted the gesture.

Cynthia greeted, “Okay, Fay. I’m Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh, and this is Champion Steven Stone of Hoenn. Judging by your reaction to us, I gather that you know us quite well.”

The other woman clasped her hands together. She said excited and with stars in her eyes. “Do I know you? Of course, I know who you are! I love one of you and hate the other.”

Steven gawked at the sky. He was pretty adamant that he was the one she hated.

Fay continued, “I watch both of you on TV all of the time. Arceus, I can’t believe I’m walking on the same deck as you. I don’t deserve it!” She then unexpectedly grasped Cynthia’s hands. “I’m holding your hand right now. I’ll never wash them again!”

Cynthia chuckled. This woman was rather amusing. She had a strong personality alright, but not in the way they expected. “Fay, like we said before, we are here to be your bodyguards and protect you.”

“Really?”

Steven shouted, “What?! So, you listen to her and not me?!”

“Well then,” Fay said while letting go of Cynthia’s hands, “you must come inside and explain the situation a little more thorough. I have drinks and snacks galore!”

Fay then unfastened the rope that led to the first step of the yacht. She led the way, and the two Champions followed. They immediately lost all breath from their lungs when they locked their vision on the main deck’s appearance. There was a small built in pool, six tanning beds, a bar, and several couches on the main deck. Something told the Champions that the woman was a partier, and that could get her in trouble with the situation she was currently in now. Despite that, it was beautiful up here. They couldn’t wait to see what was below deck.

Unfortunately, below deck was a lot less extravagant. It looked like a normal living room, but cleaner and with a ton of white leather couches. To their right, they observed a small staircase that led to a small dining table and a kitchen around the corner. The bathroom probably wasn’t too far away either.

“Is this a rental?” Steven asked.

Fay turned around and put a hand on her chest. She said dramatically, “Don’t insult me! This is my home.”

Steven grumbled again.

Fay said, “Now, I know what you’re thinking. My Arceus, she must be rich!” She then waved off that thought, “No, my husband just had a lot of money saved up. The G-men organization doesn’t pay as well as people think it does.”

Cynthia cocked her head to the side. The woman was married? She then took a quick glance at the woman’s fingers and indeed saw a wedding band. Cynthia answered, “Well, I guess you could say that’s what we were thinking. Judging by the main deck, I’m guessing that you host a lot of pool parties?”

Fay raised a finger in the air. She said confidently, “I hate to admit it, but yes. However, due to everything that’s been going on with the G-men, I haven’t had any. So, I’m assuming that you like it?”

Cynthia nodded. “It’s beautiful!”

“Alright,” Fay said, “make yourselves comfortable. I’ll fix us all up some drinks. What is your usual?”

“I’ll take tea,” said Steven.

Cynthia said, “I’ll take tea too, please. We don’t want to be inebriated during our mission.”

Fay pouted, then said, “Awe, you guys are no fun.”

When she was gone, the two Champions situated themselves on the couches in the common room. They were sitting in front of a television and fireplace. Curious, Cynthia then took a quick look around the room, and saw small tables with lamps and picture frames on them. Being a snoop, she looked at one frame that contained a picture of Fay and another man that was probably her husband.

“What are you doing?” Steven asked.

“Being a snoop,” Cynthia answered.

“You shouldn’t do that,” the man scolded.

“I don’t care. We have to get to know these people, and through pictures is one of the easiest ways.” Letting go of the frame, she then reached for another and saw that it was a picture of Fay with ten other men and women. Funny enough, Lance was in that picture, looking like he was having a blast on Fay’s yacht.

Lance.

Steven pulled Cynthia out of her thoughts when he said, “She’s a weird one, isn’t she?”

Cynthia replied, “Fay is a starstruck extrovert who acts like she belongs in a sorority; however, I don’t think she’s a person to mess with. She’s able to do things with Pokémon that trainers can’t normally do or achieve. Plus, she’s a G-man, and probably knows how to use a gun.”

“Yes,” Steven agreed, “her methods would be an interesting thing to study.”

“They would.” Cynthia then looked back at the picture frame in her hand and grimaced.

Steven took notice of Cynthia’s depressive look. He grabbed the frame from Cynthia’s hands and looked to see what was upsetting her. He then understood when he observed Lance in the picture. “You miss him.”

Cynthia nodded. “Do I ever. It’s bad enough when he goes to Johto for five days, and then comes back to Sinnoh on the weekends. I just hope he’s doing okay in Fiore.”

“Don’t worry,” Steven assured, “the man can take care of himself. Besides, he’s got Leon with him as his personal bodyguard and intern.”

Cynthia chuckled at that statement. “Yeah, I guess he does.”

Fay then came back into the picture carrying a tray containing a teapot, three cups of Chamomile, and cream and sugar. As a good hostess would, Fay gave both Champions their drinks before taking a seat herself. “So,” Fay started while putting cream into her tea, “How’s Lance doing? I haven’t seen him in a month. I hope he’s not causing his fellow Champions too much hassle.”

Cynthia laughed, “He’s behaving himself.”

“He’d better be,” Fay commented. After taking a long sip of her tea, she continued, “Again, I must apologize for my behaviour earlier. I’m not normally like that. It’s just that with everything going on with the G-men right now, we have to be extra careful.”

Cynthia understood. “Fay, I’m really sorry this is happening to you and your friends, but I assure you that Steven and I will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”

Fay gave a curt nod. “That’s great!”

After the three persons finished fixing their tea, and taking a generous sip, Fay said while rubbing her chin, “What I don’t understand is why Lance sent two Champions to be my bodyguards. He could have assigned the task to anyone.”

Steven questioned, “What _did_ Lance tell you when he talked to you last?”

Fay crossed her legs. She then flicked her purple hair over her shoulders before saying, “Lance asked me where I was. I asked why before I answered, and he informed me that there was a hit list discovered and that I’m on there, so Team Rocket will be on the hunt for me. He told me that he would be sending two powerful Pokémon trainers to keep me safe until this Team Rocket business blows over. Respecting his decision, I gave him my exact location. Let’s be real. I’m not in hiding, and neither is he, so I trust Lance completely.”

Steven and Cynthia looked at each other before Cynthia said, “Well, there’s more.”

“Huh?”

“We’re not just here to be your bodyguards. We’re also here to retrieve you, and assign you a mission.”

Fay’s eyes widened. She’d been deceived. Besides, she couldn’t go on a mission. She wasn’t mentally ready after what happened on Mt. Silver. “A mission,” she frowned, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t say yes to Lance just to be given a mission. I think I have an idea of what this whole thing is about.”

Steven took a sip of his tea. It tasted bitter. He noticed that after smoking that cigar with Lance the other day, that his taste buds were off. He responded to Fay, “Oh yeah? Care to tell us?” He must’ve sounded ruder than what he intended, because Cynthia was not hesitant in slapping his arm.

Giving the Champions a suspicious glare, Fay answered, “Does it have to do with the Ice Rayquaza?”

Cynthia couldn’t lie, “Well, yes, but…”

Fay shouted, “Then forget it! I want nothing to do with it. I was fine with you two being my bodyguards, but I’m not okay with going on a mission that is going to involve being in the presence of that monster. You know, I really shouldn’t mention anything else. You already know too much.”

Steven scoffed, “You G-men are all the same. Why do you all try to be so secretive?”

Cynthia took a longer look at Fay. She was good at reading people, and could see that same void in Fay’s eyes that Lance had lately. Just like her fiancé, she lost most of her friends and comrades that day too. Cynthia couldn’t blame the woman for not wanting to go back to Mt. Silver, but that’s not what the mission was. Cynthia clarified, “Yes, it has to do with the Ice Rayquaza, but not in the way you think it does.”

Steven looked at Cynthia. “I think we should give her some context.”

Cynthia nodded in return.

Steven turned to Fay and said, “You said that Lance told you about the hitlist, correct?”

Fay answered, “Yes.”

“Did he tell you that Team Rocket has information?”

Fay replied, “Yes. He told me that they have information to the G-men profiles.”

“Did he tell you that Team Rocket came after him and that he had to fake death?”

After that, Fay just about dropped her tea. She went white and said in a panicked state of mind, “What? T – they went after him? Is Lance okay? Oh my gosh, I can’t afford to lose another teammate.”

Cynthia assured with a wide smile, “Lance is perfectly fine now.”

The other woman then clenched her fists. She barked, “That man is so stupid!”

Cynthia agreed straight away, “I know, right?”

Steven sighed before continuing, “Fay, Lance is now in hiding. He wants to make Team Rocket believe that he’s dead as a doornail for as long as possible. This means that you are the only one who lived through the incident on Mt. Silver that is not in hiding, so Team Rocket will be coming after you next. Unfortunately, Lance found out that Team Rocket doesn’t just obtain information on the G-men, they know basic details of the Ice Rayquaza, but the good news is that they don’t possess any details that could help them in the long run.”

Fay furrowed her brows. “Knowing Lance, I don’t think he knows for sure how much information Team Rocket currently has. They got information from some of our captains, and it’s not much, but that’s all I know.”

Steven said, “That’s right, and Lance has a plan.”

Fay set her tea aside. She scoffed, “Why the hell is Lance making plans? He’s not the director. I only follow the director’s orders.”

Cynthia gave the woman a sad smile. She said, “Lance mustn’t have told you then. The G-man director was killed in her office a few days ago. Team Rocket might have more information than what was originally taken. There are only five G-men left, and that includes you.”

They paused and let the news of the director’s death sink in. After Fay got over the initial shock, she said, “What’s the mission? I’ll give you a yes or a no once you give me the rundown.”

Cynthia internally rejoiced. They were finally getting somewhere.

Steven explained, “When Lance got out of the hospital, he took charge and asked us Champions from all the regions to help. Since he’s a Champion himself, most of us weren’t that hard to convince. The mission will be to infiltrate any Team Rocket bases and destroy all information that Team Rocket currently has. Like Cynthia said, Lance believes that Team Rocket took more information from the director. Again, it wasn’t much because she wasn’t on Mt. Silver like you and Lance, but it still puts them once step closer to the whereabouts of the Pokémon.” 

Cynthia added, “Listen, we’re not asking anyone to go on Mt. Silver. The mission is to solely rid of all information that’s in Team Rocket’s hands. Lance wants to leave the creature alone; he’s not too keen on going to Mt. Silver again either.”

Fay looked at her feet. She said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m ready for a mission.”

Just like Lance said, Cynthia couldn’t give up, “I know what you’re thinking, Fay. Why are the G-men going to blatantly walk into Team Rocket’s hands when they know they should be avoiding them? Fay, Team Rocket won’t know it’s the G-men infiltrating until it’s too late. The faster the information is destroyed, the faster everyone can go back to their regular living. Don’t you want to protect the organization that you’ve been loyal to for years? Don’t you want to help your friends? Don’t you want to stop looking over your shoulder?”

Fay then tangled her fingers in her hair. It was obvious that she was conflicted.

Steven tried, “Even if you say no, both Cynthia and I can do the mission ourselves, but we’re not experienced in this field of work. We could easily fail, and we can’t afford that. We need you. According to Lance, you are an exceptional navigator, infiltrator, and you have Pokémon that can use seals. He also mentioned that you have never failed a mission, and I think that’s an incredible feat. You’re a very talented woman and G-man; and with you on our side, we’ll…”

Fay interrupted, “You’re quite the sweet talker, Steven. Fine, I’ll do it.” She then downed the remainder of her tea in one gulp. After wiping the leftover tea off of her lips using her wrist, she said, “If it’s for the sake of the G-men and my friends, then I’ll do it. But I will only do the infiltration mission. Anything after that is a no from me.”

Cynthia smiled. “Thank you, Fay. I’ll go tell Lance right away.”

Before Cynthia could dial Lance’s number on her Pokégear, Fay snatched her wrist. Confused by her actions, Cynthia asked, “What’re you doing?”

Fay replied with her own smile, “We don’t have to tell him right away. Let’s make things interesting and let him wait.”

“Wait? But why?”

Fay chuckled deep within her throat. “If Lance is directing this mission, then I’m guessing that he is doing the intelligence portion. He’s probably searching for Team Rocket bases at the moment, and getting their blueprints. That can take some time if you aren’t computer savvy; and Lance is not.”

Cynthia nodded; that was the truth. She then added, “He’s also trying to convince another G-man to join the party. Apparently, he does the computer stuff.”

Fay responded, “If that’s the case, then let’s give him some time. If you all just started your mission, then chances are, he doesn’t have the next phase available. You convinced me so easily that he’ll think I’ve gone soft. Remain seated, and let us get to know each other some more. Aside from Lance, I’ve never been in the presence of elite Pokémon trainers. It’s like a dream come true.”

Steven sighed. “Okay, but do you have a washroom first?”

Fay replied, “Definitely. It’s just around the corner and to your left.” She wiggled her fingers. “Don’t stink it up too bad. I hate you on TV, so don’t make me hate you more.”

Steven grumbled to himself as he left the vicinity. He really didn’t like this woman. Why were G-men like Lance and her so difficult to handle?

When Steven was gone, Fay turned to Cynthia and said with a giant grin, “Great, now that it’s just the two of us ladies, I should ask if Sinnoh is truly a beautiful region? I’ve only been there twice, but on missions, so I’ve never actually taken the time to enjoy the sights and sounds.” This was an exciting time for Fay. She was sitting in the same room with her favourite trainer; she had to milk this ‘historical event’ for as long as possible.

Cynthia took a sip of her tea. “It is beautiful. When this is all over, you should take your yacht and go there for a month. Your co-worker said that you like fishing. There’s some good fishing up there.”

Fay exclaimed, “Yes, we should!”

“We?”

“You are the Champion of Sinnoh. You can’t live a boring life. I think you’d be a fun person to have around.”

Cynthia looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment. Now that she reflected on the things she liked to do, she found that she was a somewhat bland person; however, she couldn’t possibly say that. “Well – I like traveling and researching, I’ve met many legendary Pokémon, and I love ice cream; but I’m afraid that’s all. I’m not a party person, and I don’t drink much, because I can’t hold my liquor. I…”

Fay interrupted again, “What about boys?”

Cynthia was taken aback. “Boys?”

“Don’t you have someone special in your life? You are a very attractive woman. There has to be a man or a woman that you swoon over.”

Cynthia rubbed the back of her head. She said, “There is.”

“Really? Who is it? What’s his or her’s name? I need details!” Fay then leaned forwards; she wanted to catch every single word. Cynthia had a feeling that this woman loved drama.

“You know him.”

Fay squinted. She grabbed her chin, and looked away, thinking. It couldn’t have been one of her ex boyfriends, because Cynthia didn’t know she existed until today, and it couldn’t have been her husband because he was not here anymore. There was only one other person. Fay’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re Lance’s fiancé?”

“Yep!”

Fay exclaimed, “Damn it! That man never tells me anything!”

Cynthia chuckled, “He doesn’t give you much detail on anything, does he?”

Fay groused whilst crossing her arms, “He doesn’t, but maybe it’s because I’ll tell the whole world. He did mention that he had a fiancé, but he never told me who. Stupid man. I would’ve taken you more seriously on the port if he would’ve told me who he was marrying in the first place!”

Cynthia then laughed, “Yes, as you know, he can be stupid sometimes.”

Fay clenched her fists. “Tell me about it. That guy gets hurt on missions more than a rookie.”

Suddenly worried, Cynthia asked, “What? He gets hurt a lot?” How come she didn’t know anything about this?

Seeing her distress, Fay assured, “He doesn’t get seriously hurt. It’s just scrapes and bruises. It’s nothing that a bandage can’t fix.”

Cynthia made a sour face. She’d have to talk to her fiancé about being careful later.

Fay then gave a high-pitched squeal. She said crunched in and with her fists close to her mouth, “When’s the wedding? I want to go to it! You two are so cute together.” She then hopped from her spot and sat right next to Cynthia. She grabbed the other woman’s hands. “Please tell me when the wedding is?”

Cynthia scratched the side of her head. “We planned to marry in the spring.”

“Spring! That’s a perfect time.”

Cynthia then turned the tables. She needed to know more about this woman. “What about you? You said that you have a husband…”

Cynthia stopped when Fay looked away with sad eyes. The expression she gave Cynthia obviously meant bad news.

“I’m a widow. My husband died a long time ago, and I’ve refrained from dating and remarrying ever since. I just like seeing others in love and happy. It just reminds me of how happy I was, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.”

Cynthia gave her sympathies before changing the subject, “You have a beautiful Xatu. Not many people can maintain the vividness of their feathers. You are a truly talented trainer.”

Fay shrugged as if indicating her achievements were nothing. “I have time. Besides, I connect with psychic Pokémon very well, and can make them do things that normally trainers can’t teach or try to accomplish. It’s a lot of practice, but regardless, I must take care of them just so I can be a show-off.”

Steven then came back from the washroom, and noticed that Fay had taken his spot. After Fay laid her eyes on him, she said, “I hope you didn’t stink it up?”

Steven took a deep breath. He couldn’t lose it now. “No,” he said before taking a seat across from the two women.

Fay squinted, “I’ll be inspecting later.”

Steven exhaled again. If this woman wasn’t careful, he might not be her bodyguard anymore, and go straight home.

Fay said to Steven, “Steven, is Hoenn more beautiful than Sinnoh?”

“It’s nice, although it’s surrounded by mostly water. You know, I think we should focus on the mission now.”

“Awe, you really are no fun.” Fay then let go of Cynthia’s hands, and said to both Champions. “Okay, so since you’re taking care of me, I’m assuming that you need a place to sleep. I have a guest room that can fit both of you. I reckon you don’t want to sleep with me, because I’ll just punch you in my sleep. When Lance and I had to bunk together in the wilderness north of Unova, he got a fistful from me, and couldn’t sleep for the next two days, because his jaw hurt like a bitch.”

“Well,” Cynthia said, hesitantly, “thank you for being so honest.”

“Come now,” Fay stood up and waved them on, “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

The Champions then rose to their feet and followed the woman. Fay examined them before asking, “Is that all you brought? Those satchels?”

Cynthia responded, “I’m afraid we just packed the necessities. We might have to do laundry everyday if that’s not a problem.”

“Not at all. You’ll just have to do it outside or in the sink, because I have no washing appliances here.”

Steven shook his head. He then said in Cynthia’s ear, “We can’t stall for too long. We have to call Lance soon.”

Cynthia took a long glance at the Pokégear on her wrist. She wanted to talk to Lance, but she hated not seeing his face. She then asked Fay, “Fay, do you have a video comm?”

Fay answered with a sly grin, “Why? Do you miss him already?”

Cynthia heavily blushed. She then crossed her arms and looked away. “Maybe.”

“Yes, I have one,” Fay answered, “We’ll call him as soon as I get you two settled. Who knows, he might have a mission for us, but if he’s alone on that computer, he’s going to be at it for at least a week. I have plenty of board games though, so we’ll have enough to entertain us and pass the time.”

“Board games,” Steven muttered, “This lady is so weird.”

* * *

Cynthia, Steven and Fay were sitting before Fay’s video comm, trying to call Lance. He didn’t answer the first time, so they tried again. Eventually he answered, and his face lit up on the screen. At first glance, Lance looked a little worse for wear. He looked like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep in the last couple of days. Then, his eyes came to life when he observed Cynthia in front of him. He said with a large smile and in an excited tone, _“Cynthia, what a surprise! I was going to call you later tonight, but I see that you miss me already and beat me to it.”_

Cynthia chuckled, “It’s not much of a surprise, and that’s part of the reason why I called you; but you also told me to inform you when phase one of our mission was complete.”

Steven watched Lance closely on the screen. Lance probably didn’t see Steven and Fay in front of the comm, because he was acting like an entirely different person. Although he appeared stressed and tired, he sounded happy and not like a jerk. _“Your mission is complete? Oh wow, that was fast. So, I am assuming that everything went well?”_

“Yes, it did. We’re with Fay right now!”

Lance stopped. His eyes then wandered across the screen. He said, _“Yes, the room you are in looks familiar. I think out of everyone, both you and Steven had the easiest job. Hopefully, you didn’t have to convince Fay too hard.”_

Then, Fay practically pushed Cynthia aside and appeared in Lance’s line of vision. “Yo, ginger!”

Lance was taken by surprise. He then responded, irritated, _“Please don’t call me that, okay?”_

Steven sniggered. He never heard someone call Lance that before. The G-men must have their own nicknames for one another.

Placing her hands on her hips while pouting, Fay said, “Whatever you say, Blackthorn. Anyways, Champions Steven and Cynthia are excellent at following your instructions. As we both know, they also have some cool Pokémon. We’re short on staff. Maybe we should recruit them, don’t you think?”

Lance softly smiled. _“I think they’ve got enough on their plate already. They didn’t have to do this to begin with.”_ Then, his smile turned into a grimace. _“Fay, have you personally heard anything from the other G-men?”_

Fay answered, seriously, “Nothing.”

Lance then shifted his eyes towards Cynthia. _“What about the other Champions?”_

“I don’t know.”

_“Cynthia,”_ Lance sighed. He sounded a little disappointed, _“You’re supposed to be keeping tabs on everyone.”_

Cynthia responded, “Yes, but I still don’t understand why. I trust my fellow Champions.”

Lance sighed again. _“You’re the leader of the Champions. You have to direct them when I’m not around, especially when we move into phase two. When phase two happens, we may all still be split up, but you will know who works well with one another. The mission needs to be done quickly and efficiently. We can’t afford to have distractions if one despises the other. Right now, I chose certain Champions to find certain people due to personality; I wasn’t going to allow Diantha and Thrasher to go at it, because we’d never convince Thrasher to our side. Part two of the mission will be to determine who would be good teammates…however, the main reason pertains to G-man Thrasher. I can’t waste too much time on him. Depending on how everyone is doing determines how much time I have to convince him to join us. You’ve already found Fay. If Diantha and Iris find Milos sooner than expected, that means I have to give up on Thrasher and have phase two ready.”_ He then squinted. _“I recommend that you get your priorities straight.”_

That last sentence stung. Lance had never talked to her like that before. Fay took notice of Cynthia’s flinch. She’d have to talk with her after.

Taking Lance out of Cynthia’s mind, Steven said, “What about Wallace and Freida?”

Lance shifted his eyes to the upper right corner. He said, surprised, _“Oh – Steven, you’re here too. I haven’t heard anything from Wallace yet regarding Freida. When Wallace does find his target and gathers the information, I won’t be sure what to do with Freida until I determine what side he is on. My worst fear is that he is a spy for Team Rocket.”_

Shocked by that statement, Fay said, “What? You’re seriously saying that Freida is a spy? That’s a huge accusation, Lance, and you could be charged with slander if you aren’t careful. There’s no way Freida would do something like that. He’s an executive and has been with the G-men for a very long time. There’s no way he would betray us.”

Lance furrowed his brows. _“Of course, I know that. I didn’t say that he was the spy, but like you and the rest of the G-men, I just don’t trust anyone.”_ He then shrugged, and said, _“On the other hand, I could be terribly wrong and the spy was just a Team Rocket grunt who slipped under our noses. I’m praying it’s the latter.”_

Steven then asked, “So now what? How are things on your end?”

Lance answered, _“We think we’ve found a hideout, but we have to make sure, because I can’t afford to be wrong. Leon is a decent helper, but I’m starting to get desperate. I can’t do the things Thrasher knows how to do on the computers. So far, Thrasher is not biting at my words, and sooner or later, I’m going to hand the phone to Leon and let him try, because he seems like he’s better at convincing people.”_

Fay asked, “Who’s Leon?”

Cynthia answered, “The Champion of Galar.”

Fay understood. “Oh, you’re trying to convince and gather all of the G-men. Good luck with Thrasher, Lance; if he hasn’t stripped you down already.”

Lance shook his head. He then said, _“Once I confirm that this place is a Team Rocket hideout, and gather the blueprints, I’ll notify you via Pokégear, but for now, just sit tight and prepare for infiltration.”_

Fay asked, “How long?”

_“Two days to a week, I don’t know.”_

“Great! We’ll prepare then. I have some Team Rocket uniforms that I’m sure will fit these two nice and snug.”

Lance nodded. _“Thank you, Fay.”_ He then looked back at Cynthia, who looked a little sheepish. _“Oh, and Champion Cynthia?”_

“Yes?”

Lance frowned, _“I recommend that you call the Champions now and see what’s happening. Report to me tonight, alright?”_

Cynthia acknowledged, “Yes, sir.”

Lance then turned off the video comm.

Fay looked back at Cynthia. Seeing how upset Cynthia looked after the call, Fay placed a hand on the Sinnoh Champion’s shoulder as a source of comfort. She said, “Don’t worry about him, Cynthia. Lance is in mission mode and he looks stressed out of his mind. He needs to work a computer, looks like he hasn’t slept for a week, and Thrasher probably tore him a new asshole more than once already. I hope he mentioned to you that G-men missions are fast paced and unpredictable, so things always have to be at the ready. He’ll come around. So, for now, just listen to him, call the other Champions, and see how everyone is fairing, alright?”

Cynthia exhaled. “I know. I just miss him.”

Fay smiled. “I understand how you feel. Come now, and let’s get something to eat. I’m famished!”

_Chapter 8 is next…_


	8. Finding Freida

Cynthia made her way to the main deck. She had just gotten off the video comm with Lance. Presently, her and Steven had been residing at Fay’s yacht for the last three days, and every night, Lance made sure that he called Cynthia to confirm that she was still in one piece. It was sweet, but it was an immediate reminder – and kick in the gut – that he wasn’t there with her to give her a smile that was usually reserved for her. She missed him. She missed his amusing expressions when he gave them; she missed his affections; she missed the touching and the sex; and most of all, she just missed being in his strong arms. She couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over.

On the main deck, Cynthia quickly scanned the area. It was ten at night, and it was Cynthia’s turn to keep watch; after all, her and Steven were assigned to be Fay’s bodyguards, so they did what they were getting paid to do.

Cynthia wandered over to Steven who was sitting on the railing beside Fay’s Xatu. She said to him, “Hey Steven! You can go to bed now. I’ll take over.”

Steven turned to face the woman. He greeted her with a generous smile, “Ah – good evening, Cynthia. We haven’t talked all day, have we?”

Cynthia shrugged, “Fay wanted to go shopping, so as her bodyguard, I went with her. Unfortunately, I was also her pack mule.” She joked, “She has no respect for Champions.”

Just then, Steven looked to his right and observed Fay’s sleeping Xatu. When Cynthia and Fay had gone to the heart of the city this afternoon to go clothes and shoe shopping, Steven had been talking to the Xatu the entire time just to keep himself occupied and feel less lonely. He figured that he must’ve bored the Pokémon to exhaustion.

Cynthia then sat on the railing beside Steven. Just like him, she gazed into the horizon, soaked in the beauty of the stars in the sky, and said, “This place is beautiful at sunset. You were lucky to have watched it.”

Steven laughed, “Yes, I got to witness its beauty and you didn’t. That’s what you get for going shopping. You tend to miss out on a lot of things.” He then jokingly punched her in the arm.

Cynthia laughed alongside him, “You were a lucky man, but I’m afraid dresses and shoes were more important.”

Her eyelids then drooped. She was thinking, and Steven could tell. He and Cynthia had been best friends forever, so he could pick apart how she was feeling even from the smallest of details. He also knew what she was thinking about, because every time she came back from a video call, she had that same solemn expression.

“How’s Lance today?” Steven asked in an attempt to break the ice.

Cynthia answered, “He looked tired. He says he’s fine, but I don’t believe him.”

Steven said, “Like Fay said, he’s not the greatest with computers, so stress is probably the cause of his fatigue.”

Cynthia furrowed her brows. No, Lance looked tired in a different way. It was as if he weren’t sleeping at night. Was he staying up too late? She’d have to ask him during their next call.

“You miss him?”

Cynthia pouted and said sarcastically, “What do you think?”

Steven then raised his hands as if surrendering, and said, “Hey – I was just asking.”

Whilst crossing her arms, Cynthia released herself from the railing and fled to the nearest bench. She took a seat, and Steven was quick to follow. As Steven approached her, Cynthia gave a deep sigh, “Yeah, I miss him. I miss everything about him. Every time I see his face on the screen, my heart aches.”

Steven then took a seat next to Cynthia. “Hmm…”

Cynthia continued, “I miss his laugh.”

“He laughs?!”

“Yeah – haven’t you heard it?”

Steven thought for a moment. He recalled his small heart to heart conversation with the dragon trainer the other night, and yes, he did in fact hear Lance laugh. “Yes, I have, but to be fair, he was laughing at me, because I couldn’t smoke a cigar properly. It’s not as if I had told a funny joke.”

Cynthia continued to reminisce, “I miss his hugs, I miss his kisses, and I miss being in bed with him. I just…I just miss everything.” Cynthia looked away. She felt like crying. “I’m being stupid. I should be used to this since he’s usually gone from home for five days out of the week while working at the Indigo League, and comes back to Sinnoh for the other two. Its only been three days, but…” she trailed off.

Steven understood. “Although you two have been apart longer, you know right now that he is in danger and you are not in control of the situation. Is that what you were going to say?”

Cynthia slowly nodded. “In a sense, yes.”

Steven then moved forwards, and placed his hand on top of Cynthia’s. He said, “It’s okay, Cynthia. He’s got Leon with him. Leon is the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world. He will be fine.”

With her unoccupied hand, Cynthia pinched the bridge of her nose, and said, “Yes, I know. I’m just a mother hen when it comes to him. To be honest, I just want to make love to him, so I know that he is really okay. I don’t know what to do. All of these lovestruck emotions have piled on top of each other for the last three days, and it is stressing me out.”

Steven asked, “What would Lance do if he were here, and he heard you say that?”

Cynthia responded in a shy manner, “He’d wrap me in a big Ursaring hug.”

Suddenly, Steven embraced her. Cynthia was about to ask what in the world he was doing, until he said, “No, just close your eyes and imagine Lance hugging you right now. I want to make you feel better. Please, just use your imagination. Just pretend that I am not here, and that your fiancé is the only one who is squeezing you.”

Still tense, Cynthia did as what she was told and closed her eyes. She imagined Lance on the main deck with her, right now, comforting her during this trying time.

But it didn’t feel right.

Cynthia said, “He doesn’t hug me like this. It’s different.”

“Then tell me how he does it.”

* * *

Wallace could certainly confirm that Goldenrod City in Johto was the city that never slept; for it seemed like the city was bustling with more activity at night than during the day. Yes, the shops were closed, but it didn’t stop the night time activities from flourishing.

The Hoenn Champion took a quick look around, and could see that he could fit into the crowd quite snug. Many people were dressed like him, and probably acted like him too. They were all flamboyant and outgoing, so it would be easy to make friends for the night. If there were many people already similar to him, then finding Freida was going to be a chore. Before journeying into the giant crowds of people, Wallace took another look at the face of Freida on his Pokégear and tried to engrave the details of his target’s facial features into his brain; for if he looked at his Pokégear too many times, he could be considered suspicious, and the authorities could unnecessarily get involved.

Wallace took another quick peek around to see what was going on in town. It was some arts festival. Yes, he loved the arts, but there were more street vendors than actual events, so it was hardly something he’d do on a Friday night; maybe a Tuesday. It was then that Wallace realized that if he was going to successfully find Freida in a decent amount of time, he’d have to delve deep inside himself and determine which things he likes and hates the most; it was something that he never gave great thought about before.

Pulling away from the crowd, Wallace thought for a moment. If Freida was in hiding, then why would he possibly want to go out into the public eye? Well, Lance obviously knew the man better than him, so if Lance says that he’s a wanderer, then Freida would just have to do sociable things in a more discreet way.

First thought, would Wallace go out during the night? Or was he a sucker for daytime activities? Reflecting on himself, he found that he was more of a daytime person, but he thought that maybe he should look in places that he’d normally be in during the day now. It was a good idea, because although Wallace and Freida may be similar personality wise, it didn’t mean that they both preferred the same activities at the same time of day.

Wallace went ahead and started looking.

* * *

“Get off of me!” Cynthia shrieked. Quickly, she pushed Steven off of her, and he fell backwards onto the wooden deck. The force of the impact woke up the Xatu.

Trying to recover from his fall, Steven heard Cynthia berate him, “Steven, I am getting married! You will never force yourself onto me ever again, do you hear?”

Steven tried to explain himself, “But you said that you’d like me to…”

Cynthia corrected, “I allowed the embrace, but in no way did I allow a kiss! Do not ever touch me again!” She then gave Steven a menacing glare. “Am I clear, Mr. Stone?”

Steven shook. “Clear as mud. I’m sorry.”

Cynthia then placed her hands on her hips before turning away and saying over her shoulder, “You should go now. Get some sleep. I’ve got work to do.”

Without another word, Steven forced himself onto his feet. After finding his footing, Steven started towards below deck, where he could go to bed and sleep on his idea that backfired.

When Steven was gone, Cynthia tried calling Iris and Diantha on her Pokégear, but neither of them answered. Maybe something happened to them. No, they’re probably busy travelling or searching; she’ll have to call them later. She called Wallace next, and luckily, he picked up. She asked for a follow-up and he stated that he was on the hunt for his target now. He told her that he’d have to find a place to sleep soon. He joked by saying he could sleep on a park bench, but Cynthia took that statement to heart and told him that whatever he paid for would be compensated by the G-man organization. Their conversation then ended. After making a small report on a notepad she had brought up from below deck with her, she looked up to see the horizon full of endless dark blue. She’d be here well past dawn, so she could finally see the sun rise.

Cynthia touched her lips. No matter how hard she wiped, she could still feel Steven’s unwanted kiss. She knew for a fact that Steven had feelings for her. The man wore his emotions on his sleeve, but unfortunately, she was already taken, and it had been that way for eight years. In her early twenties – before dating Lance – she had feelings for Steven, but after meeting a new hotheaded twenty-year-old Champion from Blackthorn and realizing that she enjoyed his company a lot more, she chose to be with Lance who made her the happiest. Truthfully, sometimes those feelings for Steven were still there, but she always pushed them aside, and told herself that they were nothing more than a thought.

She missed Lance so much, but she’d rather have the real thing here than be around someone pretending.

* * *

_2:00 a.m. in Goldenrod…_

Wallace walked into a small bar in the south end of the city. It would be the last place he’d check for the night. So far, he’d been to night clubs, strip clubs, department stores, and the casino, but after staying at each place for no more than an hour, he came out empty handed. After experiencing how most of the night was going, he was confident that he wouldn’t find his target here either.

Taking a look around, Wallace could see that it was surprisingly empty inside. It was a Friday night, and presently, a midnight event was taking place in the square, meaning that normally, a bar like this should be at full capacity; but the more Wallace thought about it, this particular bar was rather inobtrusive and was located on the opposite end of town where the activities were taking place. It was also a decent area to end his search. He could have a drink or two on his own. Although Wallace was more of a social butterfly and preferred partying with crowds of people, sometimes he needed some time for himself.

Aside from the bar tender, there were only two other people inside. One was at the bar table by themselves, and the other was tucked in a corner on the other side of the room. Wallace sneaked around, trying his best to look inconspicuous as he peeked at their faces. His version of stealth was working, but maybe because the two customers were already pissed.

Wallace took a glance at Freida’s profile picture on his Pokégear and then back at the man in the corner. The stranger was teal eyed with long blonde hair that was nowhere near what his target looked like. After, he focused on the man at the bar table already with a half empty glass in hand. From what Wallace could see, the man bore pale skin and scraggly brown hair. He couldn’t see his eyes for the man’s back was turned to him. He was also wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket. He might have to be sociable to get a facial reading, and if it wasn’t his target, then he could still enjoy a drink, possibly make a friend, and go to a hotel room that would be reimbursed by Lance the G-man.

Wallace slowly approached the bar table. He sat down a couple of seats away from the other man. The bar tender immediately showed and asked what his usual was. Wallace gave him his order, and once he received his drink, he scanned the face of the man with a side glance. He looked at the photo and then back at the stranger. He had the same color and styled hair, square jawline, and rounded nose. Now all that he needed to see were his eyes.

Wallace started, “May I join you?”

The man looked directly at Wallace. Blue eyes. It was him; it was Freida. Scanning him again, Wallace could tell that the man was tipsy. His cheeks were flushed, and he almost looked as if he were going to fall asleep. If Wallace knew what he was doing, he could get any information he needed out tonight and that would be the end of his mission.

The man answered with a slightly depressive look, “Sure. I think I need some company.”

Wallace then took that as an opportunity to sit on the stool beside him. Wallace said, “You’re all alone here. What fun can you have without some company, right?”

The man chuckled deep within his throat, “I think so.”

Before continuing the conversation, Wallace reached into his left-side pocket and pulled out something that looked like a small television remote control. It was a voice recorder. He pressed play and then shoved it into his right pocket, so that it could catch both sides of their conversation. Wallace said, “So, do you come here often?”

The man looked at the ceiling and answered, “No, not often. I actually don’t live here…or near here. Things are a little unfamiliar still.”

Wallace understood. He said just before taking a sip of his drink, “Me neither. May I ask where you are from?”

The other man licked his lips. He said, “Kalos. How about you?”

Wallace replied, “I’m from Hoenn. I’m Wallace by the way.” The Champion then held out his hand. Hopefully, the man was sober enough to accept the gesture.

The man didn’t shake right away; instead, he said, “Hey – you look a little familiar to me.”

In the midst of the long pause, Wallace tried to help him out, “I do look familiar to a lot of people. Earlier, I almost got run over, because my fans wanted my autograph.”

The man then quickly cupped both of his hands over his mouth. He gasped, “You’re one of the Hoenn Champions. You are also a multiple contest winner!”

Wallace gave a thumbs up, along with a vivid smile, “Yes, contests are my specialty!”

The man said in an overly excited tone of voice, “Dear Arceus, I’m such a big fan of yours. I adore Pokémon contests more than normal battles. Contests tend to keep me more occupied and on my toes. Seriously, I’m honored.” He then took the other man’s hand and gave it a great big shake. “I’m Freida Forlorn.”

“It’s good to meet you Frieda.” Yes, it was definitely his target. “Here, let me buy you another drink.”

“Wha – you don’t have to!”

“I insist. I need to stay on my fan’s good side, right?”

Freida nodded. “I guess.”

Wallace then ordered both he and Freida another drink. Although Wallace was nowhere near finished his, he knew that it would be a long night for them both. He’d have to intoxicate the man fully in order to prod as much information from him as possible.

After both receiving their new drinks, Wallace chimed, “How long have you been in Goldenrod for? Is it just for today?”

“To tell you the truth, I’ve only been here for a month. I don’t know – maybe less…maybe more.”

Wallace acted surprised, “Really? A full month?”

“Yeah,” Freida said, “But I kind of like it here. I think I want to move here. I wasn’t too keen on coming to Goldenrod in the first place, but it’s growing on me.”

Wallace tilted his head to the side. “Are you working while you’re here?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not working. I’ve just been here in town minding my own business. As you can see, I do leave my place every now and then, because I’m one for social interaction…but then I go back.”

Wallace shook his head in disbelief. “If you’re not working, how are you making a living? Goldenrod has the most expensive rent in Johto.”

Freida answered, “Savings, I guess. Honestly, I’d rather not talk about it.” He took another gulp of his drink. He was drinking faster now. Good. Wallace could get him drunk quicker, and possibly retrieve information in full detail.

“Why not?”

“…It’s a touchy subject.”

Wallace looked away and sighed, “That’s too bad, because right now, you look like you need a friend. I can see that you’re bottling up a lot of things, and you need to let it all out. Now, don’t go shaking your head at me, because we are alike. I tend to bottle things up, and eventually I go crazy; I need to tell someone about my problems.”

Freida shrugged. He said, “I guess you’re right; however, I’m not drunk enough to talk about it.”

Wallace raised his glass, “Trust me. I’m going to get hammered tonight too, so whatever you tell me, I won’t remember.”

Freida downed the remainder of his drink and demanded another glass. The bartender gave it to him without question.

“What number is this for you?”

Frieda answered, “Four.”

Wallace laughed, “You can’t hold your liquor well, can you?”

Frieda slammed his glass against the counter. “I don’t know! I haven’t drunk this much since I was nineteen!”

After twenty more minutes of drinking, Wallace took another side glance at Freida. His cheeks were completely red, and no doubt Freida was completely inebriated. Unlike this man, Wallace could hold his alcohol decently.

“Goldenrod is so nice,” Freida started, “I should really consider living here instead of sitting around and hiding in a temporary apartment until it’s all over.”

Wallace’s ears perked. Great, he was getting somewhere. He took a quick look around to see if anyone else had entered or exited the bar, but there were no new faces. He turned back to Frieda and questioned, “Hiding? What do you mean by that?”

Freida replied, “I’m hiding because they’re after me.”

“Who’s after you?” Wallace assumed the G-man was talking about Team Rocket.

“They killed a couple of my coworkers, so fearing the same thing, I left.”

“They killed your coworkers?”

Freida nodded. “Yeah…”

Wallace looked back at his drink. His coworkers died by the hands of Team Rocket, and Freida fled. It was that simple, so he couldn’t have been a spy.

“…they perished because of my silly mistake.”

What the hell? “Mistake? What mistake?”

Freida stirred his drink with his finger. “I practically killed them.” There was another long pause before he said, “You can’t tell anyone about this, got it?”

Wallace crossed his heart and hoped to die. “Trust me, I won’t remember a thing tomorrow. You have my word.”

Freida frowned. “Someone was watching us. I don’t know who, how, or when, but news had spread about the G-men, stating that they had seen something on Mt. Silver, and that it was valuable to some sort of cause. Team Rocket caught wind of these rumors and they had to see if they were true, so instead of breaking into headquarters and stealing information through computer analogues and archives, they followed me home. Compared to the other G-men, I’m an executive, meaning that it **must** mean that I know more, but that’s not always true.”

The man downed the rest of his drink before continuing, “About an hour after I got home, Team Rocket broke into my home, and tied me up. In my living room, they demanded that I give them information regarding the incident on Mt. Silver, but me being a loyal G-man, didn’t budge. They knew that I would keep my mouth shut, so they brought others means in that could get me to talk.”

“Other means?”

“They used their own Pokémon against me.”

Wallace’s stomach dropped six feet. “What in the world did they use? An Alakazam?”

Freida shook his head. Just by looking at the man’s arms and hands, Wallace could see that the G-man was shaking as he recollected unpleasant memories, “Team Rocket tied me to a chair and hooked me up to the ears of three Ampharos, and every time I refused to answer their questions, they would electrocute me. At first, they teased me, and gave me a little jolt here and there, but as time passed, the shocks got more intense. This was done for a copious amount of time, and it was obviously _very_ painful. When I still didn’t talk, those cocksuckers pulled out a headset and placed it over my ears. They then left the room, and I was in my living room all alone listening to endless shrilling. I had to listen to those high-pitched screeches for over two hours. I was ready to say that I killed Arceus just to make them stop. When they came back, and took off the headset, they asked me the questions again. I didn’t want to answer, but when they threatened the Ampharos on me again, I instantly caved. I told them everything I knew. I told them the incident, information on the G-men archives, where to find them, how to break in, classified information of the G-men, and classified details on the Mt. Silver incident. Of course, my side of the Mt. Silver tale is generic, but I told them that if they want exact details of location and what is really on that mountain, then they’ll have to make a list of the G-men who are still alive and torture them for information too. I committed treason.”

Wallace felt terrible. He wouldn’t wish torture on his greatest enemy. “How did you survive?”

Freida took a swig of his new drink. “I honestly have no idea. But as soon as I heard that the captains were killed, I was the first to flee.”

“Why the first?”

“Because I betrayed the organization. I didn’t want to be tried. I don’t think anyone would understand or let me explain myself without jumping to conclusions.” He then sighed, “But no matter, at the end of the day, treason is treason.”

As a source of comfort, Wallace placed a hand on Freida’s shoulder. “Freida, do you think you are in immediate danger? Will Team Rocket come back for you?”

Freida looked at the surface of the table in front of him. After thinking for quite some time, he answered, “Yes. They know they can extract information out of me, and that they can do it easily.”

Wallace then said, “Freida, would you like me to walk you home? You look like you’re about to fall over as soon as you stand up.”

Frieda nodded, “That would be preferable. Thanks for listening by the way.”

Wallace stopped the recording. He then paid for the bill before grabbing Freida by the arm, and supporting him to his house. Wallace now knew where he lived.

After putting Freida into his own bed, and making sure that he was sound asleep for the rest of the night, Wallace took a little bit of time to snoop around the area. Although Freida confessed everything truthfully, and it was recorded, Wallace just needed some physical confirmation if there was any. If Freida was holding onto anything peculiar, that could be another reason why Team Rocket is after him; however, Wallace found nothing. The man was clean. Wallace looked at the mentally pained and sleeping G-man before leaving. He'd come back later.

* * *

Wallace called Cynthia via Pokégear.

After four rings, the Sinnoh Champion greeted him on the other end, _“Hello?”_

“Hey Cynthia, it’s Wallace.”

_“Wallace! It’s good to hear from you.”_

“I have good news,” said Wallace in a rather excited tone. He’d never completed any kind of ‘mission’ before, so this was a new feeling.

_“And what news is that?”_

Wallace said, “I found G-man Freida and I pried information out of him. Would it be possible to call you via video comm? I’ll be at Goldenrod’s Pokémon Centre in five minutes.”

Cynthia answered, _“That’s great news Wallace. We’ll be waiting for your call in ten minutes then.”_ She hung up.

* * *

Ten minutes later, on the dot, Wallace found himself in front of one of the Pokémon’s Centre’s many video comms. Although mostly empty, he chose the one furthest away from people just in case someone was watching him. After dialing, Cynthia’s face appeared on the monitor. She said in an overly serious tone of voice, _“Hello, Champion Wallace.”_

Wallace nodded in return. This was a professional interaction, so they had to talk to one another as such; everything they said and did would be put on the record unless stated otherwise. “Good evening, Champion Cynthia. What time is it over there?”

Cynthia answered, _“It is approximately seven A.M. How about you?”_

Wallace said, “Three in the morning – now, I think we should get down to business before things suddenly go awry.”

Before getting into deeper conversation, Cynthia said, _“Hold on for one second. I got Champion Lance on the line with me. Are you able to have two screen conversations on your comm?”_

Wallace adjusted the settings. “Yes.”

Suddenly, Lance’s face, bearing a deep scowl, appeared on a panel on the right side of the screen. He looked tired, but still maintained good hygiene. Wallace knew that the other man had a lot of work on his plate, and had to go to a bed, so he couldn’t keep him too long; this was just strictly business. Wallace greeted, “Hello, Champion Lance.”

Lance acknowledged the man, _“So, I was told you found G-man Freida. As I expected, it didn’t take you long.”_

Wallace replied, “Yes, my mission is complete. I retrieved information from him, and I am to give it to you both. After that, you said that you’d figure out what to do with Frieda depending on the facts, correct?”

Lance answered, _“That is correct. What did you find out?”_

Wallace said, “Are you all able to listen to a recording if I place the tape in my comm slot?”

On the screen, Wallace could see Lance adjusting his comm settings. On the left side, he observed a feminine arm that didn’t belong to Cynthia regulate her settings. When he noticed that both Champions were ready for the tape recording, Wallace placed the stick into a small slot on the comm, and pressed play as soon as the popup showed.

Wallace said, “Listen closely. I don’t think it would be wise if I play this twice here. Also, I would’ve told you what I found out first, but I think it would be more believable and authentic if you hear it come out of his mouth.”

As the Champions listened to the recordings, Wallace watched for their reactions. Lance looked less focused on Wallace’s simple questions, and more focused on his comrade. Lance was right. Freida, wasn’t on Mt. Silver when the Ice Rayquaza incident occurred, but was the first to go missing, so he had a reason to be suspicious.

Cynthia’s expressions didn’t change much. Every now and then she would furrow her brows, but that was it. Then, when it hit the part where it was revealed that Freida had been tortured by Team Rocket for classified information and committed treason against the organization, Lance’s eyes went as wide as saucers. He was shocked; however, that shock didn’t lead to anything else.

As soon as the recording finished, Wallace pressed stop and then removed the tape safely.

 _“Are you alright?”_ Cynthia asked. She wasn’t talking to Wallace or Lance; she was talking to someone else offscreen beside her. _“Hey, why don’t you go lie down, alright? Steven, get her some water.”_

Something was going on over there. Wallace then looked back at Lance. The Indigo League Champion was staring at something in front of him with his eyes still widened. Wallace had never seen Lance like that before. For the longest time, there was silence until Cynthia turned back to the screen and commended with a small smile, _“Good job, Wallace. You’ve successfully completed your mission. Lance will give you further direction on your next assignment.”_

Wallace nodded. He then said awkwardly, “So, should I end the conversation here, so that Champion Lance and whoever is with you lets the information sink in a little. You guys can call me back on my Pokégear later.”

Cynthia’s eyes then wandered over to Lance’s screen. She said, _“Champion Lance?”_

Lance’s eyes were still bulging, but he was now sweating at the forehead. He tried to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Lance’s suspicions were proven true. Freida had given information to Team Rocket to infiltrate the G-man organization’s headquarters, and gather as much information as they possibly could while killing two captains in the process. They used that same infiltration method later to kill the director. Freida wasn’t a spy. There was no spy. It was just a grunt who was good at sneaking around.

Cynthia then grew worried. Lance wasn’t speaking. Maybe they should end the call now.

Wallace then tried, “Champion Lance, I know where Freida is residing. If you didn’t notice his inebriation during the voice recording, I got him completely drunk, so I took him to his temporary residence. I think he is still in immediate danger, so I’m going back to his place after the call to make sure he’s doing alright.”

Lance blinked. Finally, he focused, and his expression molded back into its stoic demeanor. _“I have your next mission, Champion Wallace.”_

“Yes?”

_“You will be Freida’s bodyguard, but unlike the other Champions, you will force Freida to leave Goldenrod with you. There is no room for convincing. If you think he’s in danger, then so do I.”_

“Where should I take him?” Wallace asked.

Lance said, _“You will come to Fiore where I currently am. They have a human hospital, so we can have Freida examined and monitored. I’ve been around Freida many times when he’s drunk. He’s usually a happy drunk, but that voice recording told me otherwise. We need to get him some help and out of danger, so he can hide with me and Leon and heal. Your mission starts now.”_

Wallace then said, “Yes, but before I do, may I ask where everyone else is at on their missions?”

Lance said on his end, _“Thrasher is being an asshole, and my computer skills are at an all time low.”_

Cynthia then said, _“As you know, part one of Steven and I’s mission is complete, and Iris and Diantha are currently searching for Milos. They’ve been at it for a day and a half now.”_

Wallace said, “Alright, I’m going to go now.”

 _“Good luck,”_ both Lance and Cynthia said simultaneously before Wallace cut the call. Wallace then quickly gathered whatever he had, and ran straight to Freida’s place of stay.

* * *

When the call had ended, Lance lowered his head on his desk, and buried it between his arms. Cynthia who was still on the line said, _“Oh – Babe, I’m so sorry.”_

Lance’s head was still buried, and his voice was now muffled, but Cynthia managed to hear a small, “Everything is just getting worse. My own teammate and boss was tortured. I can’t imagine how much pain he is feeling, and none of us were there for him. I thought him to be the bad guy the entire time.”

Cynthia sighed. She knew her fiancé was stressed, where even the littlest things caused him more anguish. Everyone was completing their missions faster than what he anticipated, while he was getting nowhere, so no doubt he was a wreck. Cynthia wanted nothing more but to jump through the screen and hug him, but she couldn’t; so instead, she opted for placing her hand on it. She said, _“Lance, touch my hand.”_

Raising his head, he looked up at the video comm and saw his fiancé’s hand resting against the monitor. Without questioning, he placed his hand against hers. Cynthia said, _“Lance, you’re doing a good job so far, okay? I know it seems like everyone is succeeding and you’re failing, but you’re doing your best, and I’m proud of you. I’m right there with you, okay?”_

“…Okay.”

She then said with more authority, _“If you don’t give me a smile soon, I’m seriously going to pull from this mission, hop on a plane and go to Fiore right now.”_

Lance couldn’t help, but chuckle at that remark. Cynthia always took care of him. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her. He gave her a small smile, “Thanks Cynthia. I love you.”

 _“I love you too, Babe,”_ Cynthia replied with her hand still on the screen, _“Now, I’m going to wait for you to end the call. I don’t care how long I sit here for.”_

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Wallace arrived at Freida’s front doorstep wearing his traveling clothes and satchel that carried only the necessities. He was ready to knock on the door since he locked the thing on his way out, but as he raised his arm, he noticed that the door was left ajar. The open door either meant that Freida escaped his confines, or there were intruders; he hoped that it wasn’t the latter.

With little haste, Wallace entered the apartment, and bolted upstairs, where Frieda was supposed to be sleeping. Just before reaching the top, Wallace stopped and quietly lowered himself, so that only his head was peeking over into the open doorway. That wasn’t good; he had left Freida’s door closed before leaving. Examining further into the darkness, Wallace eventually took notice of two men wandering over to Freida’s bedside. As feared, there were intruders. Someone had been watching them the whole time. But who? Wallace had made sure that there was no one sketchy observing them.

Seeing what looked like Team Rocket grunts, Wallace took out his Pokéball and quietly sent out his Starmie. When the water Pokémon gave out its cry, Wallace quickly shushed it, indicating that they had to be stealthy. Then, the Starmie floated over to its trainer’s side.

Wallace looked back at the men in black caps and uniforms; yes, they were definitely Team Rocket, and they weren’t holding Pokéballs in their hands. Wallace looked at Starmie, and then pointed at the two men. He made another signal that told the water Pokémon that it needed to use a tackle attack.

Then, wasting no time, Wallace hopped to his feet, aimed a finger and exclaimed, “Starmie, use tackle!”

Acknowledging its order, the Starmie hurled itself in the air, and rotated at rapid speed towards the two grunts who had already turned around to see whom was yelling, but it was too late for them. The Starmie swiped both of their faces, cutting them instantly and knocking them out cold.

When all was quiet, Wallace ran inside the bedroom, and kicked away what were crowbars from their hands. He then went to Freida’s bedside, and saw that he was still asleep and unharmed. Wallace shook the man awake.

Several shakes later, Freida slowly opened his eyes. He yawned and then asked groggily, “Wha-what’s going on? What happened? What’re you still doing here? Is it morning already?” He was still drunk out of his mind.

Wallace said in a panic, “Freida, you’re coming with me. Your life is in danger.”

“Huh?” Freida said before looking to the side, and seeing the bodies of two unconscious Team Rocket grunts. “I don’t get it, what’s happening?”

“I have no time to explain,” Freida shouted, “we have to get out of here.” He then took his Pokéball and retrieved Starmie. Then, he grabbed the G-man’s arms and shoved him off of the bed. Although the other man protested, Wallace use all of his strength to drag the man out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the apartment.

“Stop it,” Freida yelled and kicked as Wallace tried to carry him down the street, “I said STOP IT! I’ll scream if you don’t let me go!”

Having enough of the man’s antics, Wallace struggled, but managed to put him in a sleep hold. He took classes on this technique long ago as a joke, but little did he know he’d actually have the opportunity to use it one day. After ten long seconds, Freida’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went limp. As Wallace could barely keep the G-man on his feet, he threw a Pokéball and called out Swampert.

After Swampert made its cry, Wallace placed Freida’s immobile body on its back. He said to his Pokémon, “We’re going to Fiore now. I already have my stuff with me. We’ve got no time to waste!” The Swampert heeded its trainer’s commands, and both Wallace and his Pokémon sprinted down the Goldenrod streets, getting lost in the massive crowds to disorientate any enemies if they were already lingering on their tails.

* * *

Freida peeled open his eyes.

It was now day time, and Freida found himself bouncing up and down on something. When he blinked a few times, and his vision finally cleared, he shifted his eyes and discovered that he was in a forestry area, moving at a rapid speed. He then used whatever energy he could muster and shifted his head to look forwards; he was confused when he lay sight on the back of a Swampert’s head. After soaking in what he was seeing, he deduced that he was on the back of a Swampert, running on a dirt path at great speeds. But why?

Freida then heard hooves running alongside him. Curious, he turned his head and saw Champion Wallace on the back of a Rapidash, galloping beside what could be his Swampert. What was going on? Where was he? He remembered talking to Champion Wallace the night before at the bar, but the man took him home, and that was it.

Freida exclaimed, “What’s the meaning of this!?” The man tried to get up, but as soon as he forced himself upright, he received an excruciating headache and felt sick to his stomach. Oh no, he had a hangover.

When Wallace turned to see Freida yelling at him, he pulled back on the reigns, and stopped. Without question, his Swampert stopped as well. Wallace started, “Oh good – you’re awake. Well – actually I would prefer you to be asleep, but if you keep still and refrain from struggling, then I think I can keep you awake for the remainder of the journey.”

“What the hell is going on? Where are you taking me?! Let me go!” Freida then tried getting off of the Swampert, but the Pokémon made sure that under no circumstances, would it let the G-man escape.

Wallace replied with a serious face and tone, “I’m sorry, Freida, but I can’t do it. Your life is in danger, and we need to get you to safety as soon as possible.”

“Huh? In danger? In danger how?”

Wallace needed to know what Freida remembered, so he knew where to begin in his explanation. He asked, “Do you remember anything last night? Do you remember us talking?”

Freida scratched the side of his head. “It’s…rather fuzzy. I remember the simple things, us talking, and you taking me home, but I don’t remember what our conversation was about; however, just because you’re Champion, doesn’t give you the right to kidnap me! Let me go back, now!”

Wallace shouted back, “Like I said, I can’t do that!”

Freida couldn’t understand. “I don’t get it!”

Wallace sighed. He might regret this later. “Let me tell you the truth. Last night, I purposely got you drunk, so I could make you vulnerable and retrieve information regarding your situation within the G-men organization. Surprisingly, you told me everything.”

“What?!”

Wallace continued, “G-man and Champion of the Indigo League Lance Blackthorn gave me a mission to complete. My mission was to find you, and to pry you for information. Lance is paying me for my efforts, so there was no way I could pass up the opportunity.”

Freida yelled, “What the fuck! I told you my story, and although I don’t remember much, I do remember telling you not to tell anyone, and you promised! You said that you wouldn’t remember anything either.”

Wallace retorted, “Well – unlike you, I can hold my liquor.”

“Who did you tell?”

Wallace answered, “I notified Lance Blackthorn of your situation. He wants you to come to Fiore, because your life is in danger.”

“It’s not in…”

“Yes, it is. Last night when you were sleeping, your apartment was broken into by two Team Rocket grunts. They were either there to kill you, or extract information from you again, and I couldn’t just sit there and watch for something to happen. My main mission was to find you and interrogate you, and now that, that task is complete, my new mission is to take you to Fiore whether you consent to it or not. Lance wants to keep you alive and safe.”

Freida gasped. “So, Lance knows about my…betrayal?”

Wallace answered with a solemn expression, “Are you afraid that he’s going to judge you harshly?”

Freida slowly nodded. “I betrayed the G-men organization. I’m one of its executives, a higher up who is to keep all information confidential, and yet…I failed to do that.”

Wallace tried to reason, “Freida, the information was extracted from you in a forced manner; in other words, you were tortured. I think I would’ve done the same had I been in your position. Seriously, I don’t know how you managed to escape Team Rocket,” he paused momentarily, before continuing, “but personally, I don’t’ think Lance will judge you, but he might question why you didn’t notify your staff of what happened earlier.”

Freida finally stopped struggling. He looked away, still ashamed at what he had done.

Wallace said, “Okay, we can’t stall any longer. We have to keep going before someone catches up to us. Fiore is a seven-day venture by horseback, so there is no time to dawdle.”

“Wait,” Freida said, “you’re a water trainer. Why do you have a fire type?”

“I borrowed it from a friend.”

“Didn’t you fly here from Hoenn? Why not use a flying Pokémon to get there?”

“I don’t have enough room. Plus, that Pokémon was also a rental and is still exhausted from travel, because I got lucky. I was in Goldenrod for almost eight hours before I found you, so there wasn’t enough time for it to rest; I expected to be there looking for you for at least a week. Now, as you can see, this Rapidash is very big, so there’s more than enough room for two on the saddle if you’re sick of being on Swampert’s back; he’s not the most comfortable Pokémon to ride on in the world.” Then, a thought came to mind. “Hey, now that you mentioned flying types, if you’re willing to come to Fiore without a fight, do you happen to have one big enough for two of us? You’re a G-man after all, you should have something with you.”

Freida shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry, but just like you, I prefer water Pokémon. Besides, us G-men don’t carry that many Pokémon with us. Lance is the only one that carries six. I only carry one, and that a Simipour.”

Wallace looked deep into Freida’s eyes. “Judging by that answer, are you saying that you’re willing to come to Fiore? Or are you going to fight me the entire way? If you struggle, there will be no breaks, and I don’t think you can hold your bladder for seven days.”

Freida looked away again, and curled his lips. He looked frightened.

Wallace assured, “Don’t worry, Freida. I’m positive Lance will understand. He was very shocked after hearing what happened to you, and I think he was more concerned for your well-being than you distributing information to Team Rocket. The first thing he said was to take you to Fiore not for questioning, but for protection and to a hospital to make sure that you’re alright.”

“He – he did?”

Wallace chuckled, “You’re Lance’s boss, right? Is he that hard to work with?”

Freida spat, “He’s just dedicated. Champion Wallace, what is really going on? Why was a Champion sent to interrogate and retrieve me?”

“Freida, just call me Wallace.”

“Okay.”

Wallace then explained, “Due to the information given to Team Rocket, a hit list of all the G-men were made. After Lance was attacked, he told us everything about the Ice Rayquaza and that he doesn’t want to defeat it, but to stop others from finding it. The main goal is to find all of the missing G-men, get them on our side, infiltrate the Team Rocket bases and destroy the information they gathered as one unit. Unfortunately, Lance was highly suspicious of you and had no idea how he would incorporate you into the assignment, but after hearing the truth from a recording of our conversation, he immediately changed my mission to be your bodyguard and to take you to safety.”

Freida then asked sheepishly, “May I ask if any other G-men were found then?”

Wallace informed, “Patty Fay was found, but that is all for now. Now, that’s enough talk. We must go before Team Rocket catches up. So, are you willing to cooperate?”

Freida looked down and mumbled, “Yes, sir.”

_Chapter 9 is next…_


	9. Finding Milos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update. It's not that I've been working on comics and artwork, but I unintentionally did the running water test on my computer and I fried the battery which had most of my story on it. I'm still waiting for my battery, but I've been working off of my old computer which doesn't have WORD, so its been slow. Here's the new chapter.

After four grueling days, Diantha and Iris found Milos Thorndrak on Route 17 in Kalos. The area he’d been supposedly hiding in was big and cold. At one point, Diantha felt like wimping out and going home to face a lovely fire, but then she realized that she had gotten paid. Finally, Iris and Diantha came to a realization that if paranoid Milos was really that paranoid, he’d have made a bunker or a tree house. Fortunately for them, both scenarios wouldn’t have plumbing, so they’d have to wait for him to come out of hiding when he needed to go to the bathroom.

Then, a miracle occurred. Milos appeared from underground. They caught sight of him at the route’s tail end, and stalked him to make sure that his profile matched the pictures they had on their Pokégear. When Diantha confirmed his identity after noticing his distinct golden eyes, she ran after him, and pinned him to the ground in the nearest snow bank. For a woman of her stature, she was surprisingly strong. After having many stalkers of her own in the past, she knew how to keep a man down.

Shaking in his boots, Milos kicked and screamed, “Get away from me?! Who are you? Let me go!”

“No,” Diantha said with authority. “You are our target Milos Thorndrak, and you and I need to have a talk.”

Milos continued to struggle underneath the champion, “No!”

Diantha then said, “The G-man Lance Blackthorn – your teammate – sent us. We’re here to be your bodyguards and to help you.”

Milos then stopped after hearing his teammate’s name. “Who are you?”

“You can call me Diantha. I am the Champion of Kalos. She then jerked her head over to Iris who finally caught up to the woman. “And this is Iris, the Champion of Unova. We are under official orders from your teammate to protect you…but we can’t talk here. We need somewhere more private. Your place of stay would be preferable.”

* * *

The two Champions wandered into the G-man’s bunker. It was considerably small, and the young man looked like he tried to make it as ‘homey’ as possible; but who could possibly make an underground shack their home? Milos obviously didn’t plan on staying in his bunker for long, but it’s now been two weeks; he had to have gone crazy by now.

“Sorry,” Milos started, “This place is very small. It’s a little bigger than a storm shelter, but there’s enough room on the benches here for our talk.

Diantha scanned the area. Now that Milos mentioned it, his tiny bunker did resemble a storm shelter. There were a couple of storage areas for food and water, and there were plenty of blankets. He obtained a deck of cards that were scattered on the floor, but other than that, there wasn’t much to keep him occupied.

After Iris and Diantha attempted to make themselves comfortable on one of the benches that he most likely used as a bed, Milos went to one of his plastic storage containers and pulled out a couple of soda drinks. “Sorry again, I’m not much of a host. It’s a little hard in a place like this. I also tend to be a pig when it comes to cleanliness, so if you wouldn’t mind, you could ignore this mess?”

Diantha said, “We’re not here to talk about cleanliness, Milos.” Diantha had a plan. She forced herself to call this scared little kitten by his first name to make a connection in order to gain his trust. She then took the can of soda and opened it. Iris did the same, but with more excitement. Diantha and Iris had planned ahead of time that Diantha would do most of the talking, for Iris wasn’t mature and experienced enough to engage in a political conversation like this, but it was a good opportunity to watch and learn.

Milos then took a seat across from them. He still looked uncomfortable in their presence. Truthfully, he didn’t want to talk, he just wanted them out of there. “Yeah, I know. So, I guess we should start over and ask why you two Champions are here?”

Diantha cut to the chase. “Lance Blackthorn sent us to be your bodyguards.” It was short and sweet, so hopefully he would take the bait.

Milos squinted. They were hiding something already. “I’m guessing that there’s more to it. I have a bunker; a place to keep myself warm and safe. I don’t need any bodyguards. Besides, there’s not enough room for three, so I’ll have to decline on Lance’s actions.”

Diantha then said, “Yes, you’re right, there’s more. Lance’s end goal is to retrieve you and put you on a mission to infiltrate Team Rocket bases.”

Milos gasped. He then furrowed his brows and grumbled. “Is that man insane? Why would I possibly go on a mission like that? Especially infiltrate the bases of the very people I’m hiding from.”

Diantha heard Lance’s words ring her head. Milos was going to be tough since he was known to be a paranoid and anxious individual, so they couldn’t give up so easily. “Milos, Lance needs you.”

“Why?”

Maybe she should give him some context first. “Lance was attacked not too long ago…”

“What?!”

“He’s fine. As we know, Lance was one of the only G-men not in hiding, so Team Rocket made a hit list and went after him. It turned out that Team Rocket was searching for valuable information on something that you are familiar with.”

Milos’ eyes widened. He froze as if he remembered everything that happened on Mt. Silver like it was yesterday. “Do you know about the ‘thing’ that’s on Mt. Silver then?”

Diantha nodded. “Yes, we know everything. Lance informed us. But he only told us the information he could. He never told us about where on Mt. Silver it was…”

“NO!”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not doing this! In no way am I going back onto that mountain!”

Diantha said, “Milos, we’re not planning to go onto Mt. Silver. Team Rocket has information, and all Lance wants is to break into the Team Rocket bases and destroy any information that they have regarding the Ice Rayquaza. Listen, Milos.”

Milos was all ears.

“I’m sure you want to go back to Kanto. You hate it here, don’t you?”

Milos thought for a moment. He felt safe here, but he hated that he had nothing to do. His Pokégear could only keep him entertained for so long. Plus, although he wasn’t a fan of people, he really did need interaction with others. “Yeah, I do.”

“So please help us. Honestly, Iris and I are both more than capable of completing the mission ourselves, but Lance says that he needs you the most. There are only five G-men left now.”

“What?! Are you serious?! Just five?!”

Iris then chimed, hoping to use her overly happy personality as a convincing tool, “Yes, and Lance said that you have strong fire Pokemon specifically for Team Rocket, and stealth that no one can compare to.”

Milos felt touched by that statement. It seemed that Iris had a knack for flattery. The young man was still wet behind the ears – just a twenty year old boy – where any sort of compliment boosted his morale and made him work harder. He wanted to be a G-man just as great as his veteran teammates.

Diantha then added, “If you join us, the sooner the job will get done and you can go back home to Kanto. That’s where you’re originally from, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Where in Kanto?”

“Cerulian City.”

Diantha smiled. “That city is very nice. I've been there once.”

Iris asked, “What made you want to become a G-man?”

Milos stopped. He thought for a moment. No one had really asked him that before. Finally, he said, “It sounded like fun. You’re practically an undercover spy who has the authority to arrest people if they are harming Pokemon. As you probably noticed, I’m very paranoid and anxious, and I thought the best way of getting rid of that would be to join the G-men and…desensitize myself. It was working until the Ice Rayquaza incident. Hey, may I ask who’s still alive?”

Diantha answered, “Most of the Champions from their regions have done the same as we are, and have retrieved the remaining G-men. We just talked to Lance about an hour prior, and he said that Patty Fay was found, Freida was found, Thrasher is still alive but refuses to do anything, Lance is in hiding, but he’s busy searching for Team Rocket bases remotely, and now you’ve been found. Part one of the mission is now complete.”

Milos then gawked at his feet. “Only five, huh?”

Diantha felt for the man. She didn’t know him at all, but she could tell he was in pain. He lost a lot of his friends, and they were currently sealed away with the Ice Rayquaza. No doubt, their bodies were rotting, and just the thought probably made him queasy. She said, “I’m sorry for your loss, Milos, but…will you join us? All we have to do is destroy any current information that Team Rocket has…that is it.” She then outstretched a hand, hoping that the young man would shake it. He hesitated for a moment, but after looking at Iris and her innocent eyes, he couldn’t disapprove.

“I’ll join you, but that is it…so now what?”

Diantha took out her Pokégear and called Cynthia.

* * *

Cynthia and Lance were talking at the video comm. Cynthia was fine, but she noticed that Lance looked exhausted; she hoped that he was eating and sleeping properly.

Earlier, Diantha had filled Cynthia in on their mission. She said that it was complete and that they were ready for phase two. She also stated that she was taking Milos to a hotel to get him out of that stuffy bunker, and that it would be where they would be awaiting further orders. After informing Lance about Diantha’s report, he told Cynthia that since she was leader of the Champions, she would be the one assigning the teams for part two. Currently, Lance found out that there are only two Team Rocket bases, but the hard part was finding their location.

When he was finished, Lance frowned and looked away with a saddened expression. Everyone had completed their missions so fast, and he here he was, not ready for them at all. He felt like he had failed his own mission, and it was killing him. Cynthia assured her fiancé again that he was doing a fine job, but her words were just falling flat. He was upset, and for the majority of their conversation, he was quiet. It was what he did when he was depressed, and it could be frustrating at times.

Cynthia said, “Lance, you have to talk to me. Babe, please. What are you feeling? If you say nothing, you’re just going to destroy yourself.”

_“…I feel like a failure.”_

Cynthia asked, “Do you want me to come to Fiore? I’ll still assign people to teams, but I really think you need me there.”

Lance didn’t answer her right away. Something told her deep down that he wanted to say ‘yes’, but his pride and motto of never giving up was stopping him. He then replied, _“I don’t know. I miss you so much, and this whole thing is just one huge mess. I feel like I shouldn’t have asked for anyone’s help in the first place.”_

Cynthia said, “Lance, if you did this on your own, finding your friends would’ve taken you ten times the time and work. All of us champions worked together and got the job done, and now we’re just waiting for you. All of us will have to be patient, and if they’re not, I’ll make them. Besides, Wallace is on his way to Fiore. It’ll take him a week to get there since he informed us that he was riding, so there is still time. Seriously, is Thrasher killing you?”

Lance nodded. _“To be honest, Leon is what’s keeping me from having a mental breakdown. His positive energy is nothing but fuel.”_

Cynthia stared at the screen a while longer. Enough was enough. She made up her mind. “I’m coming to Fiore now. Tell me where you’re staying. I can help. I can’t leave you alone there much longer.”

_“I’m not alone…”_

Cynthia exclaimed, “Leon is not your fiancé!”

Lance frowned. _“No, I don’t want you to come…just…stay there a little bit longer okay? I can do this.”_

“What’s with you and your pride?” She shouted, “I can’t sit here and watch you have a mental breakdown. I understand the hardships you’re going through! You lost your friends during and shortly after Mt. Silver, and the situation as a whole is intense and stressful, but it’s no reason not to ask for help!”

Lance shouted back, _“I asked for help and I got it, but I don’t need anybody’s help on my end, because no one else can do it!”_

“Dude, you can’t even do it!”

_“You’re right, and that’s why I’m trying everything in my power to get Thrasher here, because if not, I don’t…I don’t know what I’m going to do!”_

“You’re impossible,” Cynthia said, “You say that you miss me, but yet you don’t want me to see you when you’re at your lowest and need all of the support you can get.”

_“Oh yeah? Well, I seem to be the only one picking up the phone and calling.”_

He was right on that one, but the remark still hurt. Cynthia said, “Babe, I don’t feel like fighting. I think you’re just really tired. Just get some rest. I’ll talk to you later.”

Lance grumbled. _“Okay…love you.”_

“Love you too.”

When the video call was abruptly cut, Cynthia turned away from the screen. She wanted to cry. She missed him terribly, but how come he didn’t want her to come to his aid? Was work much more important than her or even his own health? He always made room for her, but why not now?

She felt so alone. He wasn’t there to kiss her and make love to her. She needed it. She craved it. But she only wanted it with him.

Cynthia then wandered over to her Pokégear and called Leon’s number. He answered immediately.

“Hey Leon…its Cynthia,” she said in a solemn manner.

_“Hey, it’s good to hear from you. Are you alright? I heard you and Lance arguing over the comm a little. Do you need a friend?”_

“Please keep a close eye on my fiancé. Can you promise me that?”

_“I already am.”_

“Leon, I have a feeling he’s going to snap at any moment. If he breaks down, or gets seriously sick, I want you to inform me right away. I’ll then get on a plane whether he likes it or not, okay?”

_“Okay.”_

“Promise me.”

_“I promise. You know…I know you two had a little spat, but although he said ‘no’ to you coming here, just understand that he misses you. He talks about you to me every day, and…it’s nice to see.”_

_Chapter 10 is next…_


End file.
